Publish ad asking Koko to appear before court

A Dhaka court yesterday asked the authorities concerned to publish an advertisement in two national Bangla dailies asking Arafat Rahman Koko, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's younger son, to appear before it by August 30 in a tax evasion case.
Judge Zahirul Haque of Senior Special Judge's Court of Dhaka passed the order after an appeal by the prosecution in this connection.
The court also expressed dissatisfaction at the prosecution's inaction to publish a newspaper advertisement even though Koko was shown fugitive on March 20 of 2010 in the case. However, defence lawyers had been submitting adjournment petitions one after another.
According to law, a fugitive accused cannot get any lawyer in his or her absence if the punishment of any case is below death sentence.
The court deferred the hearing 20 times as Koko's lawyer could not submit any order on a June 9, 2010 rule the High Court issued upon the government to explain why the case proceedings should not be declared illegal.
But the hearing on the rule was still pending, the defence counsel said.
National Board of Revenue filed the case on March 1 of 2010 accusing Koko of dodging taxes on his Tk 52.39 lakh income for fiscal years 2002-03 to 2006-07.