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Khaleda Zia, 7 Others Acquitted in Niko Graft Case
A Dhaka court on Wednesday acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and seven other accused in the high-profile Niko corruption case. The ruling was delivered by Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 Judge Md Rabiul Alam, as confirmed by the court’s peshkar, Md Belal Hossain.
The court had previously set February 19 for the verdict after hearing both the defence and prosecution. Testimonies from 39 out of 68 witnesses had been recorded, with proceedings concluding on February 5.
The case, filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on December 9, 2007, accused Khaleda and four others of causing a loss of Tk 137.77 billion to the state by signing an oil and gas exploration deal with Canadian company Niko, which was deemed detrimental to Bangladesh’s national interests and tainted by corruption. In May 2008, the ACC pressed charges against 11 people, including Khaleda.
Other accused in the case include former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddique, Khandaker Shahidul Islam, CM Yusuf Hossain, former Bapex general manager Mir Mainul Haq, Giasuddin Al Mamun, former MP MAH Selim, and former Niko Vice President Kashem Sharif. Notably, three accused, including BNP Standing Committee Member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister AKM Mosharraf Hossain, and former Bapex secretary Shafiur Rahman, passed away during the trial.
Khaleda was previously sentenced to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case in 2018 and convicted in another case later that year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was temporarily released from jail in March 2020 under an executive order, with the condition that she remain confined to her Gulshan residence and not leave the country.
Following recent political changes, Khaleda Zia and others involved in various cases have been acquitted. On January 8, she left for London for advanced medical treatment, where she currently resides with her family.