Barapukuria scam: Khaleda pleas for scrapping trial proceedings

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia today filed a leave to appeal petition with the Supreme Court for scrapping the trial proceedings of Barapukuria coal mine corruption case against her.

Khaleda filed the appeal challenging the High Court verdict, which on September 16 last year cleared the way for a lower court to run the trial proceedings in the case.

AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, a counsel for Khaleda who submitted the leave to appeal petition, told The daily Star that his client was not involved in any corruption.

The then deputy director of Anti-Corruption Commission Monirul Haque submitted a final report to the commission on June 1, 2008 exempting the accused from the charges as their offence was not found in the investigation.

Monirul was the first investigation officer of the case, Khokon said

The lawyer further said Mohamnmad Shamsul Alam, another IO of the case, submitted a charge sheet in the case to a lower court on October 5, 2008 against Khaleda and 15 others.

Under the Anti-Corruption commission law, there is no scope for further investigation into a corruption case if a final report is submitted earlier, Khokon said.

The apex court will later fix a date for hearing Khaleda’s leave to appeal petition.