Daily Bangla Times: Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia and seven others were charged with corruption in Niko graft case on Sunday.

The judge of the Dhaka Special Judge’s Court 9, Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, also posted for May 23 the formal commencement of the trial with recording testimonies of the prosecution witnesses.

The court passed the order at a makeshift courtroom at Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj in the presence of three accused—former energy and mineral resources secretary, Khandaker Shahidul Islam, former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf Hossain and businessperson Gias Uddin Al Mamun.

Khaleda’s lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukdar appeared for her.

The court also issued a warrant for the arrest of Selim Bhuiya when his lawyer  Jakaria Haidar filed a petition seeking time.

It also issued warrants for the arrest of the rest three accused—former principal secretary to the prime minister Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former Bapex general manager Mir Moinul Haque and Niko vice-president for South Asia Kashem Sharif—as they are still in hiding.

Earlier, the court had deferred the hearing on charge framing in the case on several occasions since the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on November 24, 2016 rejected Khaleda’s appeal against a 2015 High Court verdict that rejected her petition challenging the legality of the case.

The Anti-Corruption Commission on December 9, 2007 filed the case accusing Khaleda, also former prime minister, and four others of causing a loss of Tk 13,777 core to the state exchequer by signing an oil and gas exploration agreement with Canadian company Niko Resources Limited during the BNP rule.

The commission on the same day also filed a case accusing Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, now prime minister, and six others of causing Tk 13,630 crore loss to the state exchequer and abusing power while awarding contracts of three ‘abandoned’ gas fields in Chhatak, Kamta and Feni to Niko Resources Ltd during the Awami League rule in 19196–2001.

The commission on May 5, 2008, submitted the charge sheet against 11 people, including Khaleda Zia and the seven, who were charged on Sunday.

The charge sheet also named BNP standing committee member and former law minister Moudud Ahmed and former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain and former Bapex secretary Shafiur Rahman.

The court, however, dropped Moudud, Mosharraf and Shafiur from the trial as they already died. 

The High Court on March 11, 2010, quashed the proceedings in the Niko corruption case 2007 against Hasina after she assumed in power. The commission did not appeal against the High Court verdict.