Niko graft case: Indictment hearing against Khaleda deferred

Indictment hearing against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Niko corruption case has been deferred to February 14.

The case was set to be heard in the court of Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-9 today, Monday (January 30). But Khaleda’s lawyer Syed Zainul Abedin Mesbah requested the court to adjourn the hearing and therefore, the court set new date for charge hearing.

The court had previously fixed January 30 to hold the indictment hearing against the BNP chief.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on December 9, 2007, after the BNP chief was arrested by the military-backed caretaker government.

Charges were pressed against 11 people, including Khaleda, on May 5, 2008, for allegedly losing the state Tk 137 billion by awarding a gas exploration contract to Niko Resources, a Canadian oil and gas company.