Charge-framing hearing deferred to Apr 27 as Hasina still sick

A Special Court yesterday deferred the hearing of charge framing in the MiG-29 purchase graft case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and six others to April 27 as she was not produced before the court because of illness.
Detained Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina was admitted to the city's Square Hospital on Saturday for the second time. Earlier, she was admitted to the same hospital on March 12 and discharged on March 30.
At the beginning of court procedure yesterday morning, Chief Special Public Prosecutor Advocate Sharfuddin Khan Mukul informed the court of the hospital report that Hasina was not fit for appearing before the court.
The AL chief's counsel submitted a prayer to adjourn the charge-framing hearing for four weeks.
After arguments of the defence and prosecution lawyers, Judge Golam Mortoza Majumder of Dhaka Divisional Special Sessions Judge's Court set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises adjourned the hearing until April 27.
The six other accused are former army chief Mustafizur Rahman, former air force chief Jamaluddin Ahmed, Air Commodore (retd) Mirza Akhter Maruf, former joint secretary Mohammad Hossain Serniabat, former defence secretary Syed Yusuf Hossain and Managing Director of Unique Group Nur Ali.
Mustafizur, who is now on bail, also could not appear before the court for illness but the rest five were present in the court.
According to the case filed with Tejgaon Police Station against Hasina and four top defence officials, the purchase of eight MiG-29 fighter jets during the tenure of the AL government caused a loss of Tk 700 crore to the public exchequer.
Names of Brig Gen (retd) Iftekhar-Ul-Bashar and former deputy secretary Hasan Mahmood Delwar were dropped from the list of accused due to lack of evidence while former army chief Mustafizur Rahman, Air Commodore (retd) Mirza Akhter Maruf, former joint secretary Hossain Serniabat and businessman Nur Ali were indicted in the case after investigators had found their involvement in the alleged scam.
Inspector Abdullah Al Zahid of the now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption submitted the charge sheet to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on December 11, 2001, showing 40 people as prosecution witnesses.
Later, all the accused including Hasina filed separate petitions with the High Court for quashing the case. Following the petitions, the High Court stayed the case proceedings.
Hasina was arrested on July 16 last year after businessman Azam J Chowdhury filed an extortion case against her.