The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The trial Court set January 6 for indictment hearing on extortion charges against Awami League President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two others as she was not able to appear before the court yesterday due to illness.

The extortion charges were brought by businessman Azam J Chowdhury.

Hasina fell sick on Monday in the courtroom during hearing of the case. The court ordered the authorities concerned to take her back to the nearby sub-jail for necessary treatment immediately after her Counsel drew the attention of the court to his client's falling sick.

The jail authority today in the custody warrant of Hasina mentioned that "she is suffering from nausea and vertigo".

But co-accused in the case Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim was produced from jail custody.

Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque set the date after completion of examining the documents (alamat) by the defence lawyers. The prosecution side supplied the alamats to the defence lawyers on Monday at the instruction of the court.

Hasina was arrested on a graft charge on July 16 brought by businessman Azam J Chowdhury where he alleged that she extorted Taka about three crore from him through her cousin former Health Minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim when Hasina was in office in 1996-2001.

Chowdhury filed the case on June 13, alleging that he had paid the money to the accused as they threatened to cancel a power plant project.

After investigation, police submitted chargesheet where Sheikh Rehana, younger sister of Hasina was also made an accused in line with a confessional statement of Selim. Sheikh Rehana is being tried in absentia.