Niko graft: Give copies of seized documents to Khaleda, court says
A Dhaka court today directed authorities concerned to supply certified copies of documents, that were seized during investigation into the Niko graft case, to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s lawyers.
Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-9 passed the order after Khaleda’s lawyers submitted an application, seeking permission to be given the documents, which they said were most important for supporting their submissions when there is hearing on charge framing in the case.
ACC Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol opposed the petition, saying the defence had earlier taken certified copies on several occasions and now submitted petitions for those documents just to delay hearing on charge framing against Khaleda and eight others.
The judge also fixed March 1 as the next date of hearing of the case.
Earlier, senior lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali placed submissions on behalf of Khaleda but he could not complete the process due to lack of some documents seized by the IO of the case.
Khaleda, who is now free following an executive order from the government, is ailing. She was earlier admitted to Evercare Hospital with a heart problem and later released from there.
She is currently taking treatment at her Gulshan residence.
Khaleda’s personal appearance at the court was earlier exempted and Masud Ahmed Talukder represented her in her absence.
Among the accused, Giausuddin Al Mamun is now in jail while six others are on bail.
Another accused, Kashem Sharif, former president of Niko Resources (Bangladesh) Limited, is on the run.
During today’s hearing, Mamun was produced before the makeshift court of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in December 2007, accusing Khaleda and several others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was Prime Minister between 2001 and 2006.
Two of the accused in the case — former state minister for energy and BNP leader AKM Mosharraf Hossain and former law minister Moudud Ahmed– died earlier.-Daily Star
