Gatco Graft: Khaleda to file plea seeking SC stay

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia today filed a leave to appeal petition with the Supreme Court seeking its stay on the trial proceedings of Gatco corruption case against her.

She submitted the petition through her lawyer challenging the High Court verdict that has cleared the way for the trial court to run the trial proceedings of the case.

Mahbub Uddin Khokon, a lawyer for Khaleda told the reporters that they will move the petition before the chamber judge of the appellate division of the SC for its hearing.

On August 5 last year, the HC rejected a writ petition filed by Khaleda Zia challenging the trial proceedings of the case.  

It had also directed her to surrender before that court within two months after the HC verdict was received by the court, the Special Judge's Court-3 of Dhaka.

The HC verdict was release on February 15 this year.

On February 15 this year, the HC released the full text of its verdict that rejected the two petitions filed by Khaleda Zia challenging the legality of proceedings in Gatco corruption case.

The bench of Justice Md Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rob had also lifted previous HC orders in the case -- granting bail to Khaleda in 2007 and staying her trial in 2008.

On September 2, 2007, the ACC lodged the Gatco graft case with Tejgaon Police Station against Khaleda, her youngest son late Arafat Rahman Koko, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and 10 others. The case was filed under the Emergency Powers Rules (EPR).

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

After hearing a writ petition filed by Khaleda, the HC on September 30, 2007, granted bail to her and issued a rule upon the government and the ACC to explain why bringing corruption charges under the emergency powers rules should not be declared illegal.

The HC on July 15, 2008, stayed the case proceedings against Khaleda and issued another rule upon the government and the graft watchdog to explain why the case proceedings should not be quashed.

Khaleda was arrested in the case on September 2, 2007. She was freed the following year after she secured bail in Gatco and three other cases.