Charge hearing against Khaleda in Barapukuria graft case Aug 8

Khaleda Zia on Way to hospital late Monday night.

A Dhaka court today set August 8 for hearing on charge framing in the Barapukuria Coalmine graft case against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and nine others.

Today was fixed for indictment hearing, but Begum Khaleda Zia could not appear in the court because of her illness.

Granting a time plea of the defense council, Acting Judge Nazrul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-2 adjourned the hearing till August 8.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on February 26, 2008, filed the graft case against Khaleda Zia and 15 others with Shahbagh Police Station in the capital.

Deputy Director of the ACC Md Abul Kashem Fokir submitted the charge sheet of the case on October 5 of 2008.

They were accused of causing a loss of about Taka 159 crore to the state exchequer by awarding a contract for operation of Barapukuria Coalmine to a Chinese company through their alleged abuse of power.

Of the initial 16 accused, convicted war criminals Moulana Motiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Muhammad 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.

Now the 10 accused people are- Begum Khaleda Zia, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Dr Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, MK Anwar, M Shamsul Islam, Md Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Moajjem Hossain, Nazrul Islam, Moinul Ahsan and AKM Mosharraf Hossain. – Special Correspondent