Hasina seeks HC stay on 2 cases
Awami League President and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday filed petitions with the High Court (HC) for staying proceedings against her in the Tk 3 crore extortion case and the MiG-29 war planes purchase corruption case.
She also sought bail in the extortion case filed by businessman Azam J Chowdhury.
Hasina is now abroad for treatment and barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh filed the petitions on her behalf with the HC vacation bench comprised of justices Mirza Hussain Haider and Mamnoon Rahman.
Hasina's counsel barrister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said hearing on the petitions would be held very soon.
Hasina earlier got bail from the HC in the corruption case related to purchase of eight MiG-29 jet fighters and a special court set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises framed charges against her and five others in the case on August 20.
Barrister Shafique said upon another writ petition the HC had already issued a rule upon the government asking it to explain why initiation and continuation of the extortion case filed by Azam J Chowdhury should not be declared illegal.
On June 13 last year, Managing Director of East Coast Trading Ltd Azam J Chowdhury filed the case with Gulshan Police Station, accusing Hasina of extorting, along with others, Tk 3 crore from him for the installation work of a 210MW power plant at Siddhirganj. Hasina was arrested in this case on July 16 last year and indicted in the case on January 13.
The now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bac) filed the other case with Tejgaon Police Station on December 11, 2001, accusing Hasina and four others of causing Tk 700 crore loss to the state coffers by purchasing eight MiG-29 jet fighters when the Awami League was in power.
The then Bac inspector Abdullah Al Zahid submitted the charge sheet of the case to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on December 11, 2001, including another accused and showing 40 prosecution witnesses.
On May 18, charges were framed against Hasina in the barge-mounted power plant corruption case. The trial of Niko corruption case filed against Hasina and nine others is going on at the second special court.
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