The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The High Court (HC) yesterday quashed all proceedings against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a corruption case, filed in 2001, in purchasing of MiG-29 warplanes during her previous government

A bench of the HC Division of the Supreme Court (SC) comprising Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Borhanuddin passed the verdict upon a petition filed by Sheikh Hasina in 2008 challenging proceedings of the case against her.

The court also declared illegal the case proceedings against Sheikh Hasina.

In the ruling, the court observed that there was no evidence of irregularities in the purchase of the warplanes and no legal validity to the case against the Prime Minister.

After the ruling, Fazle Noor Taposh, lawyer of Sheikh Hasina, said that the case was filed to tarnish her image and popularity. He said the ruling said that one should not file such ill motivated cases. The case curbed fundamental rights of Sheikh Hasina.

The then Bureau of Anti-Corruption, the predecessor of the current Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on December 11, 2001 just after Sheikh Hasina left office. In the case, Sheikh Hasina and six others were accused in incurring financial losses of $129 million to the state in purchasing eight Russian MiG-29 fighter planes during her previous administration of 1996-2001.

Charges, in the case, were framed during the tenure of immediate past caretaker government Following the petition filed by Hasina, the HC, on September 18, 2008, had stayed trial proceedings of the case against her.

It also had issued a Rule upon the government, ACC and the trial Court to explain why framing of charges against Hasina in her absence should not be declared illegal.

Earlier on March 4, the same HC bench of the SC quashed all proceedings of other three corruption cases against Sheikh Hasina. The cases accused her and former cabinet ministers of corruption and irregularities in the construction of Bangabandhu Novo Theatre during her previous tenure. The court ruled that the case proceedings were 'unlawful' and the cases were filed to harass Hasina.

Barristers Rafique-ul-Huq and Abdul Matin Khasru appeared for Sheikh Hasina while Advocate Abdul Aziz Khan for the Bureau of Anti-Corruption.