DHAKA: The High Court on Wednesday (December 6) directed BNP Vice chairman Altaf Hossain Chowdhury to surrender within four weeks, in Barapukuria Coal Mine graft case.

The HC bench of Justices M Enayetur Rahim and Shahidul Karim passed the order.

The court rejected a plea that challenged legality of the case.

Altaf, the former home minister of Bangladesh, was asked to surrender before the trial court.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said that now there’s no obstruction to run the case.  

On May 22, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was also rejected a plea challenging the same, by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the same case.

On February in 2008, 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: 1308 HRS, DEC 6, 2017
SI