Niko graft case: Petition submitted to exempt Khaleda from personal appearance in court

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's defence today submitted a petition seeking exemption from her personal appearance in Niko graft case.

Three more petitions --one for her absence, one for seeking adjournment of charge hearing and the other for examining seized documents by the investigating officer--were also submitted on behalf of the BNP chief.

Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder, one of Khaleda's lawyers, told the court that she is ill and cannot come out of her home due to Covid-19 pandemic. So, he appealed to the court to exempt her from personal attendance in the case.

ACC Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol did not oppose as charge framing hearing was earlier adjourned for 34 dates due to her absence.

After hearing both sides, Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of the Special Judge's Court-9 of Dhaka said he would pass an order later on the petition that sought exemption from her personal appearance.

The judge also fixed March 2 for next hearing in the case.

The court also allowed the defence to examine for two days the documents seized by the investigation officer of the case during the investigation.

Giausuddin Al Mamun, a close friend of BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, is now in jail. He was produced before the makeshift court of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj today.

Khaleda is now free following an executive order from the government while BNP leader Moudud Ahmed and three others are now on bail. And three others have been absconding since the case was filed against them.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on December 2007, accusing her of awarding a gas exploration and extraction deal to a Canadian company Niko when she was prime minister between 2001 and 2006.

One of the accused in the case -- former state minister for energy and BNP leader AKM Mosharraf Hossain -- died of coronavirus on October 17 last year.