Court defers order again

A Dhaka court yesterday once again deferred passing an order on whether to accept charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a graft case on a defence petition for time citing that she was busy with the budget session of parliament.
It was the third time that the order was deferred. Judge Mohammad Zahurul Haque of Senior Special Judges' Court will now pass it on July 1.
The petition was filed by Khaleda's counsel Taherul Islam Towhid.
The court also extended till July 1 the bail terms of two other accused in the case, filed for graft in raising funds for Zia Charitable Trust.
The two are Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary to Khaleda's former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, and Monirul Islam Khan, APS to former Dhaka City Corporation mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
Harris, the other accused in the case, has been on the run.
Khaleda on February 2 secured permanent bail in the case.
On August 8 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station, accusing the four of abusing power in raising funds from unknown sources in the name of the Zia Charitable Trust.
KOKO'S CASE HEARING ADJOURNED
The same court yesterday adjourned till July 1 the hearing on charge framing against Arafat Rahman Koko, younger son of Khaleda Zia, in a tax evasion case.
It passed the order after Koko's counsel Sanaullah Miah submitted a petition seeking adjournment of the hearing.
With this development, the court has put the hearing off 20 times on the grounds that the defence lawyers could not produce a High Court order issued earlier upon a writ petition challenging the legality of the case.
The court also warned the defence team against seeking a further extension of time and asked Sanaullah to submit the HC order by July 1, the failure of which would lead to a framing of charges against his client.
In the petition, the lawyer said the HC on June 9, 2010, issued a rule upon the government to explain why the proceedings in the case should not be declared illegal.
The hearing on the rule is still pending with the HC, he added.
The National Board of Revenue on March 1, 2010 filed the case against Koko for dodging taxes on his income of Tk 52.39 lakh for fiscal years 2002-03 to 2006-07.