Gatco graft case: Hearing on Khaleda’s pleas Feb 9

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia

The High Court today fixed February 9 for holding the final hearing on two writ petitions challenging the legality of Gatco graft case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The HC bench of Justice Md Moinul Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan set the date following a prayer filed by the lawyers of the Anti-Corruption Commission for hearing the petitions.

The case was filed against the BNP chief, her son Arafat Rahman Koko, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Matiur Rahman Nizami, and 21 others with Tejgaon Police Station in 2007 on charges of corruption in awarding Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Co Ltd (Gatco) a contract for container management at inland container depots in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The graft caused the state exchequer a loss of over Tk 1,000 crore.

After the HC fixed the hearing date, ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that he has prepared the replies of two rules issued by the HC in 2007 and 2008.

On September 30, 2007, the HC granted Khaleda bail in the case and issued a rule upon the government and ACC to explain why bringing the charges under the under the Emergency Power Rules (EPR) should not be declared illegal.

Following another petition, the court on July 15, 2008 stayed the proceedings of the case against her and issued another rule upon the government and anti-graft watchdog to explain why the proceedings should not be quashed.

The replies will be placed before the HC during hearing on February 9, Khurshid said.