DHAKA:  A Dhaka court on Wednesday (February 20) deferred the hearing in Niko corruption case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia till March 3.

Judge Sheikh Hafijur Rahman of Special Judge’s Court-9, which is set up at Old Central Jail, set the date as Khaleda Zia could not appear before the court on account of her illness.

Earlier, Khaleda Zia came to the court being seated in a wheelchair. Her lawyer submitted a petition to the court detailing about her illness. 

Apart from BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, former Law Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former secretaries Md Shafiur Rahman, Khondker Shahidul Islam, CM Yusuf Hossain and former President of Dhaka Club Selim Bhuiyan are among the prime accused of the case.

The other three accused—Former secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former General Manager of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration & Production Company Limited (BAPEX) Meer Moinul Haque and Niko South Asia Affairs Vice President Kashem Sharif -are absconding.

In December 2007, the ACC filed the case accusing the 11 people over misusing power to grant a gas deal to Canadian company Niko when Khaleda was the prime minister of Bangladesh between 2001 and 2006.

Khaleda Zia has been serving her 10 years extended jail sentence in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case since February 8, 2018.

BDST: 1545 HRS, FEB 20, 2019

AH