The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The arraignment hearing on Gatco scam against ex-premier Khaleda Zia, her youngest son and 22 others could not take place as a petition for staying the case proceedings lies pending with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

As informed by the defence counsel about the matter, a special court that deals with high- profile corruption cases deferred the charge hearing to July 20.

On June 30, the public prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Commission moved the proposal for framing charges against the accused but that remained inconclusive.

The court of judge Shahed Noor Uddin resumed at 10:23am, after the detained BNP chairperson and other co-accused were produced amid tight security.

Her detained younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, who has been dispensed with personal appearance during trial on health grounds, was represented by his lawyer Tahirul Islam. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on September 2 last year against Khaleda and the other accused on charge of graft in awarding Gatco the contract for container handling at depots in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The following day, the army-led joint forces arrested the mother and son at their Dhaka Cantonment residence, as the interim regime launched a crackdown on former ruling politicians following a political crisis over polls.

On May 13, the ACC submitted the charge sheet to the CMM court against 24 persons.

The charge-sheeted accused include top BNP leaders former finance minister M Saifur Rahman, former LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, former health minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, former land minister M Shamsul Islam, former agriculture minister MK Anwar, former commerce minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, and former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and former industries minister Motiur Rahman Nizami.