The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The move to send detained Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of imprisoned former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda, abroad for medical treatment gained momentum yesterday, when a Special Court exempted him from personal appearance during the trial of the GATCO scam case.

Judge Shahed Noor Uddin of the Special Court, trying highflying corruption cases, granted Koko's petition for exempting him from personal attendance on health ground after hearing defence and prosecution lawyers. The prosecution did not oppose the move.

The same Court, however, fixed June 29 for hearing of the petition, which his elder brother Tarique Rahman moved seeking exemption from personal appearance in Sabbir murder case. Tarique, the senior Joint Secretary General of the BNP, is facing trial in a number corruption cases.

Arafat Rahman Koko, who faces the GATCO graft case along with his mother detained BNP Chairperson Begum Zia, filed the petition on Tuesday under section 540A of the CrPC, his lawyer Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon told The New Nation yesterday.

The section 540A empowers a judge to exempt a detained accused, who is incapable of appearing before the Court during the trial, from personal appearance in the case proceedings.

Earlier, an official medical board recommended to the Government to send Koko abroad for better medical treatment. He underwent medical treatment at a Bangkok hospital before his arrest along with his mother on September 3 last year.

Meanwhile, sources close to their family yesterday said the official process to grant Koko a temporary release on parole to enable him to go abroad for medical treatment gained momentum after the Special Court's decision.

His wife Sharmily Rahman earlier applied to the Chief Adviser and Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs to release him on parole for medical treatment in a hospital in Thai capital Bangkok.

"Arafat Rahman Koko is expected to be released under a Government order and flown to Bangkok in a day or two," a source close to the negotiator on behalf of his family said, adding, "The same method and law applied for the temporary release of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be applied in Koko's case."

From now on, Koko, suffering from multiple ailments, including acute lung and neurological problems, would be represented in the Court by his lawyers during the trial of the case.

Judge Shahed Noor Uddin of the Special Court fixed June 29 for hearing the application filed yesterday by detained Tarique Rahman for exempting him from appearing in Court during the trial proceedings on health grounds, as the prosecution lawyers, representing the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) opposed the move.

Opposing the plea, the prosecution prayed for time, as they could not examine in detail the modified petition, Public Prosecutor (PP) Syed Shamim Ahsan told journalists after the hearing.

Earlier, when the defence moved the application in this regard, the prosecution termed it "vague."

Tarique was not produced before the Court yesterday due to indisposition. He is suffering from chronic spondelo-arthritis and undergoing treatment at the prison-cabin of Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital.

The Court also deferred until July 2 the charge hearing on the Tk 21 crore bribery case in which former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar is a co-accused along with Tarique Rahman.

The detained accused Babar and Abu Sufian of Basundhara Group were produced before the Court in connection with the bribery case over the murder of another Bashundhara Group Director Sabbir.