The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A Court in Dhaka yesterday passed a order for interrogating detained former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia at her Special Jail on the premises of Parliament building complex in Niko scam case.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani passed the order when Investigation Officer (IO) of the case and Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tejgaon police station Shahidur Rahman pleaded the Court to permit him for quizzing the BNP Chairperson.

Two separate cases were lodged against two detained former Prime Ministers-Begum Zia and Sheikh Hasina-along with some top officials of their respective governments regarding the Niko corruption involving a gas-exploration deal with the Canadian oil and gas firm, which had allegedly caused a loss to the tune of Tk 10,000 crore to the nation.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case with Tejgaon police station on December 9 last year against Begum Zia, former Law Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former Acting Energy Secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam and Vice-President (South Asia) of Niko Resources Bangladesh Ltd Kashem Sharif.

They were accused of signing the "illegal" deal with Niko, through corrupt means, inflicting a loss of Tk 10,000 crore upon the state during the BNP rule from the late October in 2001. Begum Zia was the Prime Minister of the country till October 28 in 2006

Barrister Moudud was questioned on January 30 at the gate of Dhaka Central Jail while Mosharraf interrogated the following day (January 31) at the gate of Kashimpur Prison under Gazipur district.