The High Court on Monday ordered two-month stays on the proceedings of two cases on trial against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The bench of justices Khademul Islam Chowdhury and Mashuk Hossain Ahmed also asked the government and the Anticorruption Commission to explain within four weeks why the power plant and Niko graft cases against Hasina should not be scrapped in line with the former prime minister's petitions challenging their validity.
 
Sheikh Hasina's lawyer barrister Shafiq Ahmed told reporters that the HC bench said the ACC had approved the cases without reviewing the case documents properly.
 
Shafiq Ahmed, assisted by barrister Rafiqu-ul Haque in court, said Monday's stay orders proved the cases against Hasina were false and politically motivated.
 
The defence lawyers told the court that such cases needed ACC approval at three stages from filing up to going to court. But proper procedure was not followed in Hasina's cases.
 
Additional attorney general Mansur Habib and deputy attorney general Abdur Rouf Mia denied the claims of the defence lawyers in the court, saying necessary procedures had been followed.
 
The ACC gave approval before filing the cases and prior to submitting chargesheets in the cases.
 
The High Court also examined the case dossiers but did not find any violation of legal procedure, they said.
 
Hasina petitioned the High Court on June 2, to cancel the barge-mounted power plant case.
 
The ACC filed the case against Hasina and six others, on Sept 2 last year, accusing them of taking Tk 3 crore in bribes in return for undue privileges for setting up three barge-mounted power plants.
 
The government brought the case under emergency powers rules on Sept 20 last year. The chargesheet in the case was submitted on Jan 11.
 
The ACC filed another graft case against Hasina and six others on Dec 9 last year, involving the activities of Canadian firm Niko Resources Ltd. Hasina petitioned the High Court on June 19 to cancel case.

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