Gatco graft: Khaleda’s trial to continue

The High Court today rejected two petitions of Khaleda Zia, which challenged the legality of trial proceedings of Gatco graft case, and directed her to surrender before the trial court in two months.

The countdown of the two months will begin after the BNP chairperson receives today’s order.

The HC bench of Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rob passed the order this afternoon.

The case, filed by Anti-Corruption Commission on September 2, 2007 under emergency power rule, accused Khaleda, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami and 11 others.

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

Khaleda Zia later moved two separate writ petitions with the High Court challenging the legality of bringing the case under emergency power rule and its filling and proceedings.

The High Court, on July 15, 2008, stayed the trial proceeding of the case and issued separate rules upon the government and ACC to explain why bringing the case under EPR and its filling and proceeding should not be declared illegal.

After holding hearing on the rule, the HC bench of justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rob on Jun 17 this year kept the petition waiting for verdict.