HC verdict on Khaleda's plea on March 10

The High Court yesterday fixed March 10 for delivery of the verdict on a petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for quashing the proceedings of Barapukuria coalmine corruption case against her.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case on February 26, 2008, accusing Khaleda and others of causing a loss of Tk 159 crore to the state exchequer by awarding a contract for the operation of Barapukuria coalmine to a Chinese company abusing power.

Following a petition filed by Khaleda, the HC on October 16 the same year stayed the proceedings of the case against her case and also issued a rule upon the government and the ACC to show cause as to why the proceedings against her in the case should not be quashed.

Yesterday, the HC bench Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan fixed the date for delivery of judgment after concluding hearing on the rule.

During hearing, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the HC that the trial court will decide after hearing statements from witnesses and examining evidence and documents whether Khaleda abused her power.

The trial court should be allowed to run the trial proceedings of the case, he argued.

No lawyer appeared before the court for placing arguments for petitioner Khaleda, Khurshid told The Daily Star.  

Meanwhile, another HC bench yesterday adjourned for a week the hearing on two petitions of the BNP chief expressing no-confidence in the judge of a trial court dealing with Zia Orphanage and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases.

The HC bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Md Khasruzzaman fixed March 12 for resuming the hearing.

Khaleda filed the petitions on January 28, expressing her apprehension that she would not get justice from Abu Ahmed Jamadar of the Special Judge Court-3, as he earlier had not allow her prayer for adjourning the case proceedings.

In the petitions, Khaleda appealed to the HC to direct the government to transfer the cases to the court of another judge.

On March 3, she included two prayers in the petitions seeking stay on the lower court orders that issued arrest warrants on February 25 for her in the cases.

Yesterday, Additional Attorney General Momtaz Uddin Fakir told the HC that Khaleda Zia has no right to move such petitions before this court since she was a fugitive in the eye of law.

Zainul Abedin and AM Mahbub Uddin appeared for Khaleda.