Charges against Khaleda Zia delayed in NICO case

Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of Dhaka-9 (Temporary) Special Judge Court located in Keraniganj Central Jail on Tuesday (February 14). Zia Uddin Zia, a member of Khaleda Zia's legal panel, gave this information to the media.

He said that lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali appeared on behalf of Khaleda Zia and held a hearing to acquit her from the case. As the hearing is not over, the judge fixed the next day on February 19.

According to the statement of the case, on December 9, 2007, Assistant Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Muhammad Mahbubul Alam filed the case against five people including Khaleda Zia at Tejgaon Police Station on charges of corruption and causing financial loss to the state through opaque contracts with the Canadian company Niko.

On May 5, 2018, Khaleda filed a charge sheet against 11 people including Zia. They were accused of causing financial loss of about 13 thousand 777 crores to the state.

The other accused in the case are BNP Standing Committee member Maudud Ahmad, former State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, then Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Khandkar Shahidul Islam, former Senior Assistant Secretary CM Yusuf Hossain, Bapex's former general manager Mir Moinul Haque, Bapex's former secretary Md. Shafiur Rahman, businessman Ghiyas Uddin Al Mamun, former Bagerhat Member of Parliament MAH Salim and NICO's South Asia Vice President Kashem Sharif. Among them, AKM Mosharraf Hossain and Barrister Maudud Ahmed died.