Indictment hearing on Barapukuria graft deferred to 12 Jan
Tuesday was fixed for holding a hearing on the case but Khaleda Zia could not appear before the court for illness
A Dhaka court on Tuesday deferred the hearing on framing charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and 10 others in the Barapukuria coal mine corruption case and set 12 January 2021 as the next hearing date.
Judge AHM Ruhul Imran of the temporary Dhaka Special Judge's Court No-2 set the new date responding to the defence's plea.
Tuesday was fixed for holding a hearing on the case but Khaleda Zia could not appear before the court for illness.
Masud Ahmed Talukder and Zia Uddin Zia pleaded on behalf of Khaleda to allow them time in the case, said her lawyer Hannan Bhuiyan.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against 16 persons, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia and some members of her cabinet, on 26 February 2008 on the charges of irregularities in the appointment of contractors for the extraction, management and maintenance of the Barapukuria coal mine in Dinajpur and loss and embezzlement of nearly Tk159 crore.
On 5 October of that year, the ACC filed a charge-sheet against the 16 accused.