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The High Court on Wednesday cleared the way for lower court concerned to continue the trial proceedings against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Niko corruption case.
The High Court summarily rejected a petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, challenging a lower court order that framed charges against her and seven others in the Niko corruption case.
The High Court bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Aminul Islam passed the order after hearing the petition.
On March 19, this year, Judge of the Special Judge’s Court-9 in Dhaka, Sheikh Md Hafizur Rahman, framed charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and seven others in the Niko graft case.
Prior to that, on May 17, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia filed a revision petition with the High Court through her lawyer Barrister Kayser Kamal seeking repeal of the charge framing order in the case.
The High Court started hearing on the petition on August 9. After concluding the hearing on August 28 the HC fixed August 30 (today) for passing the order on it. Accordingly, the court announced its order on Wednesday.
Advocate A J Mohammad Ali and Barrister Kayser Kamal appeared in the court hearing on behalf of BNP Chairperson, while lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and Attorney General AM Amin Uddin appeared for the state.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said, now there is no bar for the special court to continue the trial proceedings against the accused, including the BNP chairperson.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case in December 2007 over charges that Khaleda and 10 others abused power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was the Prime Minister between 2001 and 2006.
A charge sheet was submitted to the court against 11 persons on May 5 in 2008 in the case. Allegation of causing a financial loss of about Tk 137.77 billion to the state was brought in the charge sheet.
On March 19, Khaleda, now on bail in this case, pleaded not guilty through her lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder and demanded justice.