A Dhaka court yesterday asked BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and 10 others to appear before it on August 10 in connection with Barapukuria coal mine graft case.
Judge Hosne Ara Begum of the Dhaka’s Second Special Judge’s Court adjourned yesterday’s hearing on charge framing following a time petition filed by Khaleda’s counsel Md Sanaullah Miah.
The defence counsel filed the petition mentioning that his client could not appear before the court due to security concerns.
He assured the judge that the three-time former prime minister would attend the hearing on the next date.
Three of the accused – BNP leader Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Hosaf Group Chairman Moazzem Hossain and former Petrobangla director Moinul Ahsan – were present at the court
yesterday.
Five other accused in the case are BNP leaders MK Anwar, M Shamsul Islam, Air Vice Marshall (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, AKM Mosharraf Hossain, barrister Md Aminul Hoque, former Power, Energy and Mineral Resources secretary Nazrul Islam and Md Sirajul Islam Chowdhury.
The High Court on May 25 released its full judgement, directing the trial court to proceed with the corruption case. On that day, the court also vacated its 2008 stay order on the case proceedings.
On June 12, the trial court asked Khaleda and others to appear before it yesterday.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case on February 26, 2008 against Khaleda and 15 others for causing a loss of Tk159 crore to the state exchequer by awarding the contract for operation of the Barapukuria mine to a Chinese company between June 2003 and June 2005, abusing power.
The charge sheet was pressed on October 5 the same year against 15 accused.
Names of four accused were later dropped as two of the accused – former BNP ministers M Saifur Rahman and Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan – died, while former Jamaat ministers Motiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid were executed in war crimes cases.
Former managing director of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL) Sirajul Islam has been on the run since the beginning.
Source: Dhaka Tribune