Niko Graft

Staff Correspondent

The High Court on Wednesday stayed the proceedings of the Niko graft case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia for two months.

A HC bench of justices Khademul Islam Chowdhury and Mashuk Hossain Ahmed also asked the government and the Anticorruption Commission to explain within two weeks why the case against Khaleda should not be declared illegal.
 
The court order came after Khaleda Zia filed a writ petition to the court on Monday, for the second time challenging the legality of the Niko case against her and its proceedings in trial court.
 
The same HC bench on Monday halted the proceeding of two cases, including a separate Niko graft case, against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, for two months.
 
Senior advocate Khandaker Mahbubuddin Ahmad, Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia and Advocate Abdur Reza Khan represented Khaleda in court Wednesday.
 
They told the court that the case against their client had been filed and approved by the ACC without following proper legal procedure.
 
The HC bench held a hearing on the petition Tuesday, asking the ACC to submit documents, regarding the ACC's filing and approval of the case by 2pm Wednesday.
 
Khaleda's petition included a plea to quash the case, alongside a request to halt the case proceedings in the lower court as a primary step.
 
The former prime minster accused the Anticorruption Commission chairman, two commissioners, a deputy commissioner and the Special Judge's Court-9 of Dhaka of misconduct in regard to filing and trying the case.
 
The petition also said said Khaleda, as prime minister, performed her official duties as per 'rules of business' when she asked BAPEX to take necessary steps regarding three abandoned gas fields according to guidelines and regulations. But the Niko case had been filed purposely to harass her, she claimed.
 
Khaleda mentioned that the ACC does not have the jurisdiction to challenge the 'rules of business', hence the Niko case filed against her has no legal standing.
 
The detained BNP chairperson had filed an earlier petition on May 18 to scrap the Niko case against. On May 20, a High Court bench said it was 'too embarrassed' to hear the plea. A second bench, on May 27, rejected the petition.
 
The Anticorruption Commission charged Khaleda and 10 others, on May 5, with scamming the state coffers of Tk 13,700 crore by signing the deal with Canadian company Niko Resources Ltd.
 
The ACC filed two separate graft cases involving deals with Niko against Khaleda and Hasina on Dec 9 last year.

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Mirza Md. Abul Foyaz  - Purchase Manager(Al Jawad Factory for Plastic & P. |2008-07-11 04:19:26 Reference my earlier comment two days back I would like to say same all graft cases against our two prime minister filled by so called anticorruption commission were really politically motivated. They just performed their duty as per the " Rules of Business". Everybody knows for a prime minister nobody have enough time to probe and justify the whole matter one by one prior to endorse. The ACC might be charged first the concerning individual those who were the members of purchase committee. The present government must stop all the illegal and ill motivated graft cases against our next prime minister. Finally, the present interim government can't prove if the Judges can work free and fearless. As a citizen of Bangladesh we want accurate and credible verdict to ensure justice for all the political leaders along all the accused peoples. Best wishes for all, Mirza Md. Abul Foyaz(Mamun) Purchase Manager. Al Jawad Factory for Plastic & P.P. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email:m.mirza78@gmail.com mirza78_jawad@yahoo.com 0   0

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