Trial of Khaleda, Tarique begins on March 1

Trial of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and 13 others in the Dandy Dyeing loan default case will begin on March 1.

After framing the charges, Judge Fatema Ferdous of the Artha Rin Adalat-1 yesterday fixed the date to start the suit filed over default on a Tk 45.49-crore loan.

The 13 other defendants are: late Arafat Rahman Koko's wife Sharmila Rahman, their two daughters Jahiya Rahman and Jafiya Rahman, Giasuddin Al Mamun and his wife Shahina Yasmine, Nasrin Iskander, wife of late Sayeed Iskander, their sons Shams Iskander, Shafin Iskander, daughter Sumaiya Iskander, Mozaffar Ahmed and Kazi Galib Abdus Sattar, Shamsun Nahar and Masud Hassan.

Earlier, the court made Khaleda, Koko's wife, his daughters as defendants, as Koko died on January 24 last year.

Later, Khaleda submitted a written statement through her lawyer to contest the suit, while a petition was submitted on behalf of Nasrin Iskander for not framing charges against her.

On October 2, 2012, Sonali Bank Ltd filed the loan default suit against 10 directors of Dandy Dyeing Ltd, including BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman and his younger brother Koko.

Nazrul Islam, senior executive officer of the bank's principal office, lodged the case with the Artha Rin Adalat-1 for recovery of the loan.

The company had borrowed Tk 12.16 crore from the bank's principal office in Dhaka on October 16, 2001, according to the case statement.

As the company failed to pay it off, the principal loan plus interest accumulated over the last 11 years has amounted to Tk 45.49 crore, it added.

On June 4 in 2009, Finance Minister AMA Muhith told parliament that Dandy Dyeing had got a waiver of interest worth Tk 12.16 crore on bank loans within a week after the BNP-Jamaat coalition came to power in 2001.

According to Muhith, Tarique exerted influence over the then government through the controversial Hawa Bhaban.