Hearing in Khaleda's Barapukuria Coalmine graft case April 26

The ailing Begum Khaleda Zia.

 A Dhaka court Sunday set April 26 for holding hearing on charge framing in the Barapukuria Coalmine graft case against BNP  chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and 10 others.
Sunday was fixed for holding the indictment hearing, but Begum Khaleda Zia failed to appear before the court because of her "illness".
Accepting a time plea filed by the defence, Acting Judge Nazrul Islam of  Dhaka Special Judge Court-2 adjourned the hearing till April 26.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on February 26, 2008, filed the graft case against Khaleda Zia and 15 others with Shahbagh Police Station. ACC
deputy director Md Abul Kashem Fokir on October 5, 2008, filed a charge-sheet
in the case.
They were accused of causing a loss of around Taka 159 crore to the state
exchequer by awarding a contract for operation of Barapukuria Coalmine to a
Chinese company through abuse of power.
The 16 accused are - Begum Khaleda Zia, M Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Dr Khandaker
Mosharraf Hossain, MK Anwar, M Shamsul Islam, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury,  Barrister Aminul Huq, AKM Mosharraf Hossain, Nazrul Islam, SR Osmani, Moinul
Ahsan, Md Sirajul Islam and Moazzem Hossain.
Of the 16, convicted war criminals Nizami and Mojaheed have been hanged and  four others have died of natural causes and their names are expected to be
dropped from the case during framing of the charges.