Indictment hearing in Khaleda's coal mine graft case July 13

A Dhaka court on Monday set July 13 for holding a hearing surrounding the Barapukuria graft case against the BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and 10 others.

The date was announced by Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of Dhaka Special Judge Court-2, as the defence lawyers plead for time on Begum Zia's poor health ground.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on February 26, 2008, filed the graft case against Khaleda Zia and 15 others at Shahbagh Police Station. ACC deputy director Md Abul Kashem Fokir on October 5, 2008, filed a charge sheet in the case.

They were accused of causing a loss of around Tk 159 crore to the state exchequer by awarding a contract for the operation of the Barapukuria coalmine to a Chinese company through abuse of power.