Senior special judge's court to now hold trial

A senior special judge's court of Dhaka will now conduct the trial of the radar purchase graft case against HM Ershad and three others.
Judge Md Jahurul Haque of the special court yesterday asked Ershad and the other accused to appear before it on August 20.  
The court also fixed the same date for hearing arguments from the prosecution.
Earlier on June 11, Judge Abdur Rashid of the Special Court for Dhaka Division expressed his reluctance to preside over the case trial against Ershad and the others.
The court also ordered transfer of the case to Jahurul Haque's court, which had previously sent it to Rashid's court in 1994. On May 4, 1992, the then Bureau of Anti-Corruption filed the case against Ershad; Sultan Mahmud and Mamtazuddin Ahmed, former air force chiefs; and AKM Musa and Shahazad Ali, directors of United Traders Ltd.
Charges against Shahazad were later withdrawn. Musa has been absconding since filing of the case. According to the prosecution, Ershad in collusion with the others allegedly caused a loss of Tk 64.04 crore to the state exchequer by purchasing two radars from the US instead of France for the air force while he was in power.