Court Correspondent :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday dismissed a leave to appeal petition filed by BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia challenging a High Court order that cleared the way to continue the trial proceedings in the subordinate court against her in the Barapukuria coalmine graft case.
The four-member bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed the leave to appeal petition filed by the BNP Chief.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the newsmen, there is no legal bar in the subordinate court to run the trial proceedings of the case following the Appellate Division order.
The High Court on September 17 last year, rejected the petition filed by Khaleda Zia challenging the legality of the trial proceedings in the case against her. Later, Khaleda Zia filed the leave to appeal petition with the Appellate Division challenging the High Court order. After hearing on the leave to appeal petition on May 18, the apex court fixed Sunday to pass its order.
ACC filed the case, accusing Khaleda and 15 others of causing a loss of Tk 159 crore to the national exchequer by awarding a contract for the operation of Barapukuria coalmine to a Chinese company abusing power.
