The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The verdict in the gold smuggling case against former President and Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad, which was scheduled to be pronounced yesterday, was deferred again by the court

With this the verdict has been deferred by the court for the seventh time.

Wearing black spectacles, 1st Additional Session Judge Abul Bashar arrived at the court yesterday morning and re-fixed the date of delivering the verdict for September 18.

Sources said the judge deferred the verdict as he fell sick and was suffering from eye disease.

Earlier, Ershad along with his party's leaders and workers went to the CMM Court at about 10:30am. Just after 20 minutes, Ershad left the court in his private car. A British and a German nationals were arrested at Zia International Airport for smuggling of gold bars weighing 3,000 bhories and worth Tk 2.40 crore on July 16, 1990. Later, they were tried and punished. The investigation officer of the case found that Ershad was allegedly involved in smuggling the gold bars into the country and in a supplementary charge sheet accused HM Ershad for his involvement in the gold smuggling.

The lengthy trial was completed early this year and the verdict is awaited.