DHAKA: The High Court on Sunday sent the Niko, GATCO and Barapukuria coalmine graft cases filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and others to the Chief Justice (CJ) for next order on the trial procedures of the cases.

The CJ will constitute benches to dissolve the rules on stay order or cancelation of the three cases issued by the High Court.

Respective bench of the three cases sent those to the Chief Justice.

On Thursday, lawyers of Khaleda Zia filed petitions to the CJ seeking transfer of the cases to another bench. And later, CJ SK Sinha accepted the petitions.

Of the cases, the hearing on the rule of Barapukuria coalmine graft case was ended. The High Court had fixed April 5 to pronounce its order whether it will withdraw the stay order on proceedings of Barapukuria Coalmine graft case against Khaleda Zia.

On the other hand, the hearing on rule of Niko and Gatco graft cases were scheduled to begin.
  
The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has recently moved to revive proceedings of the corruption cases against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, which remained prostponed with the High Court orders since several years.

The development has come at a time when Khaleda Zia has been accused in cases for instigating violence during the ongoing blockade and hartals.
 
Niko Graft Case

On Dec 9, 2007, ACC filed the case against five people, including Khaleda, accusing them of causing loss of Tk 137.77 billion to the state exchequer by signing oil-gas exploration agreements with Niko.
 
Later on May 5, 2008, it submitted charges against 11 persons.
 
The High Court on July 9, 2008 stayed proceedings of the graft case and issued a ruling. The stay order was upheld by the Appellate Division.

GATCO graft case

On Sept 2, 2007, the ACC filed the GATCO corruption case during the military-installed caretaker regime against Khaleda, her youngest son Arafat Rahman Coco and 11 others.

According to the case documents, the defendants illegally awarded the contract of container handling at the Chittagong port and the Dhaka's Inland Container Depot to a certain firm GATCO, causing a loss of Tk 145.64 million to the state exchequer.

On Sept 27, 2007, Khaleda and Coco filed two petitions with the High Court challenging the legality of the case under the Emergency Rule Act and seeking a stay order on the trial's proceedings.

In 2008, a High Court bench issued a rule and stayed the trial's proceedings after hearing a petition of the BNP chief.

In 2008, Khaleda filed another petition challenging the legality of the case filed under the ACC Act, following which the High Court once again stayed the case's proceedings.

Barapukuria Coalmine graft case

In 2008, during a state of emergency, the anti graft body filed the case accusing ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and others, including her former 10 cabinet colleagues.

 According to case statement, the government had loss about Tk 1.59 billion on the Barapukuria Coalmine deal awarded to the 2nd highest bidder CMC instead of the lowest one.

BNP chief Khaleda Zia filed a writ petition challenging the validity of filing of the case.

BDST: 1954 HRS, APR 01, 2015
RS/SMS