Dhaka: The Special Judge Court-4 of Dhaka has set February 19 for the judgment in the Niko graft case concerning former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and seven others. Judge Rabiul Alam announced this date after concluding the examination and cross-examination phases of the trial.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, lawyers representing Begum Khaleda Zia, including Advocate Zia Uddin Zia and Advocate Syed Joynul Abedin Mejba, have expressed hope for her acquittal. They argue that the case was politically motivated and claim that the prosecution failed to substantiate the allegations, rendering them unfounded.
The case originated on December 9, 2007, when Md Mahbubul Alam, the then Assistant Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), filed charges against Begum Khaleda Zia at Tejgaon Police Station. The charges accused her of abusing power in a deal with Canadian company Niko for gas exploration and extraction.
On May 5, 2018, the ACC submitted a charge sheet against 11 individuals, including Begum Khaleda Zia, alleging a loss of Taka 13,777 crore to the state exchequer due to the deal. Charges were framed against the accused on March 19, 2023, by Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of the Special Court number-9, temporarily set up at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
The other accused in the case include Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, Khandkar Shahidul Islam, CM Yusuf Hossain, Mir Moinul Haque, businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun, Selim Bhuiyan, and Kashem Sharif. Meanwhile, the names of three others, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, AKM Mosharaf Hossain, and Md Shafiur Rahman, were removed from the charges following their deaths.
Throughout the trial, the court recorded testimonies from 39 out of 68 prosecution witnesses.