DHAKA, March 13, 2019 (BSS) – A Dhaka court today adjourned the hearing of Barapukuria Coalmine graft case as the prime accused Begum Khaleda Zia expressed her unwillingness to appear before it.
Dhaka Special Judge Court-2 deferred the hearing as the jail authorities failed to produce the BNP chief before the court. The concerned jail superintendant in the custody warrant wrote, “The concerned inmate is unwilling to appear before court”.
“We are yet to receive necessary documents from the prosecution to take part in the hearing. Moreover, accused Khaleda Zia and Aminul Haque too are not here before the court today. So, we need time,” defence counsel Masud Talukder pleaded before the court.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) counsel Mosharraf Hossain Kazal, however, pleaded to hold hearing on charge framing.
After hearing both the parties, the court adjourned the hearing till April 9.
The ACC on February 26, 2008, filed the graft case against Khaleda Zia and 15 others with Shahbagh police station. They were accused of causing a loss of Taka 159 crore to the state exchequer by awarding a contract for operation of Barapukuria coalmine to a Chinese company through abuse of power.
Of the 16, six have already died and their names are expected to be dropped from the case during framing of the charges.
The High Court on February 25, 2019, ordered the lower court concerned to dispose of the case within six months.
A High Court division bench comprising Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam passed the order, binning a plea filed by one of the accused and BNP leader Barrister Aminul Haque to quash the charges.