The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The Trial Court on Wednesday adjourned the proceedings till September 20 of the MiG purchase graft case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and five others.

Judge Golam Mortuza Majumder set the next date as the defence counsels said they would go to the High Court with the plea that they might not get justice from this Court.

The Defence counsels said this when the Court took initiative to record the deposition of a witness rejecting their prayer for keeping the proceedings suspended.

On August 20, the Court framed charges against the six accused including Sheikh Hasina in the case. The others, who were indicted in the case, are 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 Court dropped the name of former Army Chief General (retd) Mustafizur Rahman from the case as he died recently.

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 accused obtained bail from the Trial Court.

Those accused in the FIR and dropped from the charge sheet 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.