The New Nation - Internet Edition

Bdnews24.com, Dhaka

A Dhaka court yesterday adjourned charge framing proceedings to June 1 in the Niko graft case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Judge Amar Kumar Roy of the Special Judge's Court-2 set

the next hearing date following a request for more time by defence lawyers.

Defence counsel told the judge that they would not be able to participate in the hearing until they received the necessary case documents.

The detained former prime minister and Awami League president was taken to court at around 10 am.

The trial venue of the case was shifted to the special judge's court, set up on the Sangsad Bhaban premises, on May 21 for security reasons.

The Anticorruption Commission submitted the charge sheet in the case on May 7 accusing nine people, including Sheikh Hasina, of abuse of power, office and authority in handing over three 'abandoned' gas fields to the Canadian oil and gas exploration company Niko.

The charges allege that Hasina approved a Niko deal in 2001, during her term as a prime minister, which cost the government Tk 13,630.50 crore in losses.

The case also claims that Niko Resources Ltd was "very inefficient" in different aspects of its operations, including technical expertise in exploration, but the deal was nevertheless approved in violation of a proper procedure.

The eight other accused in the case include former state minister Rafiqul Islam, former power secretary Toufique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, former energy secretary M Akmal Hossain, former vice president of Niko Resources Ltd Bangladesh Kashem Sharif, former chairman of Petrobangla Md Mosharraf Hossain and a former Petrobangla director, Syed Anwarul Haque.