Barapukuria graft case: Khaleda asked to appear before court Aug 10
A Dhaka court today asked BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to appear before it on August 10 in connection with Barapukuria coalmine corruption case.
Judge Hosne Ara Begum of the Special Judge's Court-2 passed the order after Khaleda’s lawyer Taherul Islam Towhid submitted a petition seeking an adjournment of the case hearing.
In the petition, the lawyer said his client was asked to appear before the court today but she could not come due to security grounds.
Five other accused including BNP leaders Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and AKM Mosharraf Hossain were present at the court.
On June 12, the same court asked Khaleda and 10 other accused to appear before it today (July 24).
CASE HISTORY
The High Court on May 25 released its full judgement, directing the trial court to proceed with the corruption case. On that day, the court also vacated its 2008 stay order on the case proceedings.
The HC on September 17 last year rejected a writ petition filed by the BNP chief in 2008 challenging the legality of trial proceedings in the case filed by Anti Corruption Commission earlier that year.
The ACC accuses the former premier and 15 others of causing a loss of Tk 159 crores to the state exchequer by awarding a contract for operation of Barapukuria coalmine to a Chinese company between June 2003 and June 2005, abusing power.
On October 5 of 2008, the ACC pressed charges against Khaleda and 14 others in the case.
The accused former ministers of BNP are M Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, M Shamsul Islam, MK Anwar, Barrister Aminul Haque, Altaf Hossain Choudhury, and AKM Mosharraf Hossain.
Former Jamaat ministers Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and Motiur Rahman Nizami, who were also accused in the case, have been executed for their war crimes.
The other five accused are former acting secretary to the energy and mineral resources ministry Nazrul Islam, former Petrobangla chairman SR Osmani, former Petrobangla director Mainul Ahsan, former managing director of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL) Sirajul Islam, and Hosaf Group Chairman Moazzem Hossain.
Of the accused, Mannan, Saifur died earlier and Nizami and Mojahid were earlier executed and Sirajul is on the run.
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