The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A special trial judge yesterday sent three former influential ministers in ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia's four-party coalition government to jail after they surrendered to the court.

The court ordered BNP leader former finance minister M Saifur Rahman, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed into jail in the Barapukuria coalmine case.

Maj Shamsul Haider Siddiqui, deputy inspector general of prisons, told the New Nation that the accused were sent to prison at 3:15pm.

Following High Court orders given on November 5, the three charge-sheeted accused surrendered to the special court set up in the high-security parliament-building complex and sought bail. But Judge AK Roy rejected their bail prayers and ordered them into jail.

Saifur Rahman, BNP standing-committee member and former finance minister of the immediate-past government, appeared in the court at 11:00am.

Jamaat Ameer Nizami and secretary general Mujaheed was the first to enter the Special Judge's Court-2 in the parliament complex at around 10:00am. Hundreds of their workers squatted outside the eastern road chanting freedom for their party chief and second-in-command. As the court resumed at 12:40pm, Barrister Abdur Razzak, the counsel for the accused petitioners, prayed for three days' time on the plea that quashing petitions against the case are pending with the High Court.

The lawyer also argued that other charge-sheeted accused in the case are now at large on bail.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajal strongly opposed the bail petitions, saying: "There's no scope for bail in the case under the emergency rules." Also, police report on the case is already submitted.

Hearing both sides, the court observed, "there is no scope for granting bail to the charge-sheeted accused as emergency power rules are in force".

The judge ordered the bailiffs to send them to Dhaka Central Jail and fixed November 12 for next hearing on the case, one of the many instituted under the anti-graft drive launched by the Caretaker Government after the 1/11 (2007) changeover following a political crisis over election issues.

Former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, one of the accused in the case, was sent to Dhaka Central Jail Sunday. He was brought to the court from the jail.

Prosecution lawyer Adv Kajal told reporters that the High Court earlier had advised the three accused to surrender before the trial court. Besides, the case is under the Emergency Power Rules.

Barrister Abdur Razzak, lawyer for Nizami, Mujaheed and Saifur said their clients were innocent and the charges were "politically motivated." Again bail petition will be submitted to HC and within three or four days they will be freed.

The ACC filed the case on February 26 this year accusing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and nine of her former cabinet colleagues of causing a loss of Tk 159 crore to the state exchequer by awarding a contract for operating Barapukuria coal mine to a Chinese company through "abuse of power".

The principal accused, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, secured bail from the High Court in this and three other graft cases and recently came out of jail in a turnaround in the political scenario ahead of the upcoming polls. The High Court also stayed further case proceedings against her in this case.

On October 5, the ACC submitted chargesheet against Khaleda, her former cabinet colleagues and five bureaucrats under the ongoing purge.

The chargesheet was submitted to Dhaka CMM Court for their alleged involvement in misappropriating a huge sum of money involving the coalmine scheme.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Jamaat supporters chanting anti-government slogans flooded around the Jatiya Sangsad premises where the special court is located, while Manik Mia Avenue and Rokeya Sarani were closed as part of a tight security cordon around the area.