HC stays trial proceedings against Moudud

The High Court yesterday stayed the trial proceedings against former BNP law minister Moudud Ahmed in Niko corruption case for eight weeks.

The bench of Justice Sheikh Abdul Awal and Justice Shahidul Karim passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Moudud seeking a stay on the proceedings against him in the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2007.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the commission will move an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the HC stay order.

The ACC filed the Niko corruption case in December 2007 over charges that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and several others had abused powers to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was the prime minister between 2001 and 2006.

Former law minister Moudud Ahmed was, among others, also accused in the case.

Earlier this year, Moudud sought a stay on the proceedings at the lower court, which rejected it. Later, he filed a criminal revision petition with the HC challenging the rejection order.