Trial starts against Khaleda after 16 years

A Dhaka court on Sunday framed charges against eight accused including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Niko graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2007.

After 16 years of filing the case, Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of the Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-9 passed the order rejecting the time petitions of the accused in the case.

Four accused — former prime minister Khaleda Zia, former acting secretary for energy ministry Khondaker Shahidul Islam, the ministry’s former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf Hussain, and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s close friend Giausuddin Al Mamun – pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after the court read out the charges to them during the charge framing.

Khaleda, now on bail, pleaded not guilty through her lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder and demanded justice.

The court also rejected the petition submitted on behalf of former Dhaka Club president Selim Bhuiyan seeking time for his non-appearance, cancelled his bail and issued an arrest warrant against him.

The court fixed May 23 for starting the recording testimony of witnesses in the case.

During the charge framing, the judge expressed his dissatisfaction over repeated time petitions submitted by defence lawyers for adjournment in the case.

Three others accused including former principal secretary to the prime minister Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and former president of Niko Resources (Bangladesh) Limited Kashem Sharif have been absconding.

The ACC filed the case in December 2007, accusing Khaleda and several others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was prime minister between 2001 and 2006.

Three of the accused in the case – including former state minister for energy and BNP leader AKM Mosharraf Hossain and former law Minister Moudud Ahmed – died earlier and their names were dropped from the case.