A court in Dhaka has fixed Mar 3 for the indictment hearing of the GATCO graft case against BNP chief Khaleda Zia.
Dhaka Special Judge-3 Abu Syed Dilzar scheduled the hearing on Monday (Feb 3) after Khaleda’s counsel moved a motion for more time, arguing that the former prime minister was hospitalised and the jail authorities failed to produce her before the court.
According to the case documents, the former prime minister 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.