Trial court asks for copy of HC order by Jul 24
The trial court dealing with the Gatco corruption case against detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and 23 others yesterday asked the defence lawyers to submit the certified copy of the High Court (HC) stay order by July 24.
Judge Shahed Noor Uddin of Special Court-3 set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises fixed the date after the defence appealed for a long adjournment.
The former premier was not produced before the court yesterday due to her 'illness'. The jail authority submitted a report to the court mentioning that Khaleda Zia was not produced before the court as she was ill.
Defence counsel advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder appealed for a long adjournment saying that the higher court had stayed the case proceedings for two months.
The court then asked the defence to submit the copy of the HC order by July 24.
Khaleda's younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, who was exempted from appearing in person before the court on medical grounds, was represented by his lawyer Taherul Islam Tawhid.
Other accused including former LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, former health minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, former agriculture minister MK Anwar, former land minister M Shamsul Islam, former industries minister Motiur Rahman Nizami, and former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain were produced before the court.
The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station against 24 people including Khaleda and Koko on September 2 last year on charges of corruption in awarding Gatco a contract for container handling at depots in Dhaka and Chittagong.
NIZAMI AT COURT
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and co-accused Motiur Rahman Nizami said a conspiracy is being hatched to split the four-party alliance, but the alliance leaders are alert about it.
“The four-party alliance does and will exist,” he told journalists after the proceedings.
Comments