The Supreme Court today cleared the way for the lower court concerned to resume the trial proceedings against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Niko corruption case.

A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha scrapped a High Court order that stayed the trial proceedings of the case.

The HC on March 7 stayed the trial proceeding in response to a petition filed by Khaleda seeking a stay on the trial of the case lodged by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The ACC filed the case in December 2007 accusing that Khaleda 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.

READ more: Khaleda, Moudud shown held

Former law minister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former acting energy secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam, and Vice-President (South Asia) of Niko Resources Bangladesh Ltd Kashem Sharif were also sued.