DHAKA: The High Court fixed March 25 (Sunday) for hearing of charge-sheet of the Barapukuria Coalmine graft case against Khaleda Zia and 10 others.

On Sunday (February 18), the former postal and telecommunications minister Barrister Aminul Haque, one of the accused, submitted a petition asking the court to defer the hearing date.

Dhaka's second Special Judge Hosne Ara Begum granted the application and fixed this date for hearing. 

On that day, all of the accused were instructed to appear before the court.

On behalf of Khaleda Zia, her lawyer Sanaullah Mia appeared before the court.
 
There are 13 persons accused in the case as par charge-sheet. However, Jamaat leader Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed were executed for their alleged crimes against humanity. Former agriculture minister MK Anwar died.

Earlier, on September 17, 2015, an HC bench of Justice M Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rob rejected a writ plea from Khlaeda Zia that challenged the legality of the case. 

A copy of the full verdict was also published May 25, 2016, in this connection.

Later, Khaleda filed a leave to appeal against the verdict on June 26, 2016.

On February, 2008, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case accusing Khaleda Zia and 16 others including 10 cabinet members of the then BNP-led government, over corruption in Barapukuria Coal Mine.

The case reported loss of about Tk158 crore from the state while handing the production and management in the coal mine.

BDST: 1509 HRS, FEB 18, 2018
AH/SMS