Niko graft case against Khaleda Zia, witnesses testify Jun 11

Khaleda Zia now

A Dhaka court has scheduled June 11 as the date to record the depositions of prosecution witnesses in the Niko graft case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and seven others.

Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-9 Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman passed the order on Tuesday.

“The court also partially started recorded statements of another witness Abdul Baki,” said Mohammad Ziauddin, Khaleda’ s lawyer.

Ziauddin represented Khaleda Zia in the court as she was absent.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman’s close friend Giausuddin Al Mamun, former Acting Secretary for Energy Ministry Khondaker Shahidul Islam, former Dhaka Club President Selim Bhuiyan, and former Senior Assistant Secretary CM Yusuf Hussain were present during hearing.

Three other accused, including former Principal Secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, are on the run.

On March 19 of last year, the same court framed charges in the case.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in December 2007,

alleging Khaleda Zia and others of abusing their power to grant a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian corporation Niko while she was Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006.

Former State Minister for Energy and BNP leader AKM Mosharraf Hossain, as well as former Law Minister Moudud Ahmed, were not charged in the case because they died before. - Special Correspondent