Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia. — UNB file photo
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday rejected a petition filed by Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia for quashing proceedings of Barapukuria coal mine corruption case against her.
A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the plea this morning, said M Khurshed Alam Khan, lawyer of Anti-Corruption Commission.
Earlier on May 22, the Appellate Division fixed May 28 for delivering its verdict on the petition.
On September 17 last year, the High Court also rejected a petition filed by Khaleda Zia for quashing proceedings of the case.
Later, she filed a petition with the Appellate Division seeking cancellation of the HC verdict as well as the quashing of the graft case proceedings.
On February 26, 2008, the ACC filed the case with Shahbagh police station, accusing Khaleda Zia and 10 of her former cabinet colleagues of taking Tk 159 crore in kickbacks on the Barapukuria coal mine deal awarded to the highest bidder, instead of the lowest one.
Responding to a petition filed by Khaleda, the HC on October 16, 2008, stayed the case proceedings and issued a rule asking the commission to explain why the case should not be quashed.
The Appellate Division later upheld the stay order as well, leaving the corruption case in the cold.
Khaleda, however, managed to secure a permanent bail in the case on January 15, 2012.
Following a petition of the commission, the HC revived the case on March 2 of that year.
On August 23, the HC turned down two petitions filed by Khaleda seeking all records of and the final report on Barapukuria coal mine graft case from the authorities concerned.
Source: New Age