The High Court today cleared the way for a lower court to resume the trial proceedings against former BNP law minister Moudud Ahmed in Niko corruption case.

The court lifted its stay order on the trial proceedings of the case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The HC bench of Justice Obaidul Hassan and Justice Krishna Debnath rejected a petition filed by Maudud challenging the trial proceedings of the case.

ACC Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that there is no legal bar for the trial court concerned to resume the trial proceedings against Moudud in Niko corruption case following the HC order.

The HC on December 1 last year stayed the trial proceedings against Maudud in this case after hearing a petition filed by him seeking a stay on the proceedings against him.

The ACC filed the Niko corruption case in December 2007 over charges 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 was, among others, also accused in the case.