The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The trial court yesterday set August 12 to announce the order on framing charge in the MiG purchase graft case, in which former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others were made accused.

Judge Golam Mortuza Majumder fixed the date after completion of the hearing on the petitions for different accused seeking relief of the charges brought against them.

The other accused are former army chief General (retd) Mustafizur Rahman, former air chief Air Vice-Marshal (retd) Jamaluddin, former defence secretary Syed Yousuf Hussain, former joint secretary of the Ministry of Defence Mohammad Hossain Serniabat, Air Commodore (retd) Mirza Akhter Maruf and Managing Director of UNIC Group Noor Ali.

The then bureau of anti-corruption (BAC) lodged the case on December 12, 2001, accusing Sheikh Hasina and four others of misusing public money amounting to about Taka 700 crore by purchasing the MiG fighter jets from Russia when Awami League was in power.

The chargesheet of the case was submitted on January 29, 2003, dropping two of the accused and including four new persons in the case. All the seven accused obtained bail from the trial court.

Those accused in the FIR and dropped from the chargesheet were former joint secretary of the Ministry of Defence Brig Gen (retd) Iftekharul Bashar and former deputy secretary of the ministry Hasan Mahmud Delwar.

The accused, including Sheikh Hasina, filed separate petitions with the High Court at different times seeking quashment of the charges against them.

But, the High Court after hearing rejected the petitions on September 6 last year by discharging the rule issued earlier.

Later, the accused filed appeal petitions before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, but they were rejected after hearing.