Niko graft case: Permission sought to produce FBI official, Canadian cops as witnesses
The prosecution today filed an application with a Dhaka court seeking permission for producing an official of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and two officials of Royal Canadian Mounted Police as witnesses in the Niko graft case.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin submitted the application to the court of Special Judge's Court-9 of Dhaka, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.
Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman fixed September 17 for hearing on the issue.
The judge also completed recording statement of the complainant, ACC Deputy Director Muhammad Mahbubul Alam.
On May 23, the court recorded a part of the statement of the complainant.
After that, defence for two accused -- BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman's close friend Giausuddin Al Mamun and former Dhaka Club president Selim Bhuiyan -- completed cross-examining Mahbubul.
Zainal Abedin Meshbah today submitted an application on behalf of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for adjournment of the hearing.
In the application, Meshbah mentioned that Khaleda Zia had earlier filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the legality of the order for framing charges against her.
The HC, after hearing, dismissed the writ petition and said the trial would continue. Their client will file a leave-to-appeal petition with the Supreme Court against the HC order. So, hearing should be adjourned, the lawyer said.
Khaleda is now ailing and was earlier admitted into Evercare Hospital and receiving treatment there after she got out of jail, following an executive order of the government.
Meshbah represented Khaleda in the court in her absence.
On March 19, the same court framed charges against Khaleda and seven others.
Among the seven, four accused -- former acting secretary for energy ministry Khondaker Shahidul Islam, its former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf Hussain, Mamun and Selim Bhuiyan -- are now on bail and were present at the court today.
Three others, including former principal secretary to the former prime minister, Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, remain absconding.
The ACC filed the case in December 2007, accusing Khaleda and several others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was prime minister between 2001 and 2006.
Three of the accused in the case -- including former state minister for energy and BNP leader AKM Mosharraf Hossain and former law minister Moudud Ahmed-- died earlier. Their names were dropped from the charges of case.