Khaleda has to surrender in two months

The High Court yesterday released the full text of its verdict that rejected the two petitions filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging the legality of proceedings in Gatco corruption case.

Now, Khaleda will have to surrender before the trial court within two months after the full verdict reaches the court, Anti-Corruption Commission's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star, citing the verdict.

Meanwhile, Khaleda's lawyer AKM Ehsanur Rahman told this correspondent that they were yet to get the certified copy of the verdict. Upon receiving the certified copy, they would file a leave to appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the HC verdict.

Ehsanur said his client would seek a stay on the HC verdict in the leave to appeal petition. If the apex court stays the HC judgment, the BNP chief would need not to surrender before the trial court.

On August 5 last year, the HC rejected Khaleda's two writ petitions that challenged the legality of filing the case and her trial in it, clearing the way for a lower court to resume her trial.

It had also directed her to surrender before that court within two months after the HC verdict was received by the court, the Special Judge's Court-3 of Dhaka.

The bench of Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rob had also lifted previous HC orders in the case -- granting bail to Khaleda in 2007 and staying her trial in 2008.

On September 2, 2007, the ACC lodged the Gatco graft case with Tejgaon Police Station against Khaleda, her youngest son late Arafat Rahman Koko, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and 10 others. The case was filed under the Emergency Powers Rules (EPR).

According to the case statement, there was corruption in the awarding of a contract to Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Company Ltd (Gatco) for container management at inland depots in Dhaka and Chittagong. The graft allegedly cost the state exchequer over Tk 1,000 crore.

After hearing a writ petition filed by Khaleda, the HC on September 30, 2007, granted bail to her and issued a rule upon the government and the ACC to explain why bringing corruption charges under the emergency powers rules should not be declared illegal.

The HC on July 15, 2008, stayed the case proceedings against Khaleda and issued another rule upon the government and the graft watchdog to explain why the case proceedings should not be quashed.

Khaleda was arrested in the case on September 2, 2007. She was freed the following year after she secured bail in Gatco and three other cases.