The High Court yesterday stayed the trial proceeding of Niko corruption case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The bench of Justice Sheikh Abdul Awal and Justice Md Khashruzzaman passed the order following a petition filed by Khaleda Zia seeking a stay on the trial proceeding of the case which was lodged by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said the commission will move a petition before the Appellate Division within few days for halting the HC stay order.

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

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.

Meanwhile yesterday, a petition was moved before another HC bench on behalf of Khaleda Zia seeking its order for further investigation into a portion of Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case against her.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim said the petition will be included in the cause list today.

The petition was submitted to the HC on March 1, also praying to the HC to stay the trial proceedings of the case.

Khaleda, in the petition, challenged a lower court order that on Feburary 2 rejected her application for reinvestigation into the portion of the case related to the financing for establishing Zia Orphanage Trust.

She requested the HC to issue a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the lower court order that rejected her application should not be declared illegal.

Khaleda earlier on February 8 filed another petition with the HC seeking stay on the trial proceedings of the same case. The bench led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim is set to pass order today.