The High Court has rescheduled the date for the of verdict on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s petition seeking the scrapping of the Barapukuria coal mine corruption case to Apr 5.
Published : 15 Mar 2015, 04:07 PM
On Sunday, the bench of justices Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and J. B. M. Hassan fixed the date on Khaleda’s plea.
The verdict was postponed as Khaleda’s lawyer Mahbub Uddin Khokon, a secretary contender of Supreme Court Bar Council’s executive committee was occupied with the poll that started at 10am on Sunday.
Khokon is also the joint secretary general of BNP.
Khaleda’s lawyer A J Mohammad Ali and Barrister Mohammad Badruddoza Badal said Khokon was the filing lawyer of the case and asked for more time after explaining his pre-occupation with the election.
The senior judge said two other petitions based on the same FIR have already been settled by two other HC benches.
“But we want to hear both sides. We do not want to give a verdict without hearing the petitioner. You have come, we are giving you time. Start the hearing.”
But despite repeated requests from the bench, the BNP lawyers did not proceed with the hearing.
The court then asked them to read out from the plea which Mohammad Ali claimed he was not ‘authorised’ to do.
The court questioned why he was appealing for more time as he was ‘unauthorised’.
Later, Badal read out an excerpt and the court declared a new date.
The bench, on Mar 3, started hearing on the petition after the Anti Corruption Commission moved to revive the case proceedings.
It scheduled the verdict for Mar 10 following the final hearing two days later.
But BNP lawyers moved the court on Mar 8 requesting a hearing and the HC acceded scheduling it for Mar 15.
Former prime minister Khaleda, and 15 others are accused of causing the state a loss of about Tk 1.59 billion by signing a deal with the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) to operate, manage, and maintain the Barapukuria coal mine.
The High Court on Oct 16, 2008 stayed proceedings for three months and issued a ruling asking why the case should not be scrapped.
It was upheld by the top court, bringing case to a standstill, while Khaleda got a permanent bail on Jan 15, 2012.