Dhaka, April 7 (bdnews24.com)—A Dhaka court adjourned a hearing on charge framing Monday in a graft case against Sheikh Hasina, the proceedings to be resumed on April 10.

The Special Judge's Court-1 earlier heard defence lawyers' pleas for acquitting Sheikh Hasina in the case involving the awarding of "illegal contracts" for setting up three barge-mounted power plants during her 1996-2001 term as prime minister.

The former prime minister was produced in the special court Monday morning to face charges implicating her in the case filed by the ACC last year.

Defence counsel barrister Shafique Ahmed resumed his arguments from April 3 for clearing Hasina of all charges in the case that is being tried under emergency powers rules. Sheikh Hasina appeared in court on April 3 but the court adjourned the hearing to April 7 after the accused felt ill in court.

The Anticorruption Commission filed the case with Tejgaon police on Sept 2, 2007, naming eight people including Hasina. The antigraft body accused the former prime minister and the others of being involved in the exchange of Tk 3 crore in bribes from Wartsila Power Development Limited Consortium's local representative, and Summit Group and United Group representatives, for awarding the contracts to set up three power plants in Khulna, Shikalbaha and Haripur.

Others accused in the case are former power secretary Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, former chairman of the Power Development Board Nooruddin Mahmud Kamal, Summit Group directors Md Aziz Khan and Farid Khan, United Group directors Hasan Mahmud Raja and Abul Kalam Azad, and curator of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum Syed Siddiqur Rahman.

Of the accused, Hasina and Toufiq-e-Elahi are currently behind bars.

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