A court in Dhaka has fixed Feb 7 for hearing the charges against BNP chief Khaleda Zia and others in connection to the GATCO graft case.
The court of Judge Abu Syed Dilzar of the Special Judge Court-3 fixed set the date on Thursday (Jan 24) after Kaleda’s counsel prayed for time.
The court, set up on the premises of the Dhaka Alia Madrasa ground in Bakshibazar, was scheduled to hear the charges on Thursday.
The former prime minister, however, was produced before the makeshift court. But she expressed her unwillingness to sit on the dock.
It led to exchange arguments between the counsels of BNP chief and the State.
On Jan 10, the court issued a production warrant against the incarcerated BNP chief.
According to the case documents, Khaleda stands accused of causing a loss of Tk 145.63 million to the state exchequer by awarding a container-handling job at Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Dhaka and at Chattogram Port to GATCO.
Challenging the legality of the case, Khaleda, placed a writ asking for the dismissal of the case, which resulted in the case being held in limbo at the lower court for eight years.
Dismissing the writ, the high court ordered Khaleda to surrender on Feb 23, 2016. After surrendering on Apr 5, 2016, Khaleda Zia, received bail.
On Sep 2, 2007, Anti-Corruption Commission’s Deputy Director Md Golam Shahriar, lodged a case against 13 people with Tejgaon police. The list included formers ministers, M Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Maulana Motiur Rahman, Khaleda’s younger son Coco and others.
The case now has 20 accused persons including, MK Anwar, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, AKM Mosharraf Hossain and others. Of the accused, a former minister, MK Anwar has died.