Did PM go to court even once, BNP asks

The BNP has alleged that their lawyers are being prevented from providing assistance to their Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

BNP Joint Secretary General Mahbub Uddin Khokon has said when Novo Theatre graft cases were under trial for four years, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina did not appear before the court even once.

Now Dhaka's Third Metropolitan Special Judges Court has scrapped the bail plea of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and issued arrest warrants against her on Wednesday, he pointed out.

Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association Secretary Khokon said it was not that she had to appear before the court.

“Everyone has the right to seek more time and the court can consider the matter if it wants to,” he said.

Khaleda’s son Tarique Rahman, who is currently abroad, has been sending his lawyers to appear before the court for him.

When a reporter pointed out to Khokon that Khaleda had stayed away from attending the hearings without making any such appeal, he said, “Why should we do that? Khaleda Zia is in the country. She was prime minister thrice. She was the leader of the opposition, too.”

“She respects law. She went to the lower court repeatedly and showed [her respect to the law].”

Referring to the Novo Theatre case, the BNP leader Khokon said, it was a very old case and as per the law the accused were needed to appear before the court every month.

“You (reporters) can inquire about it from the lawyers of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC). Many Awami League leaders and ministers were accused in the case. Are they appearing before the court? Is this highlighted in the media?” he asked.

He alleged that the ACC, the plaintiff of the cases against Khaleda, moved the court to scrap her bail plea only to help the government during the current ‘political turmoil’.

“The government possibly wants to stop us from providing legal help to Khaleda. One cannot even imagine this in a civilised society,” Khokon alleged.

According to him, law enforcers surrounded the house of senior lawyer TH Khan when BNP lawyers gathered there to discuss the arrest warrants for the chairperson on Wednesday night.

Bureau of Anti Corruption, now defunct, filed three cases with Tejgaon police on Mar 27, 2002 against the then opposition leader Hasina over alleged grafts during her 1996-2001 term as the head of government.

The then members of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) related to the matter were also accused in the cases.

The ACC later took over the cases.

The cases were filed over three decisions taken by the ECNEC that increased fees of the project consultant, revised up expenses of the construction and hiked the salaries of the officials of the Bangabandhu Novo Theatre.

Hasina filed two writ petitions in the High Court challenging the legality of the cases.

The High Court declared illegal the order after the chargesheet was filed on Mar 4, 2010.

The charges were pressed with “ill intentions to harass Hasina”, the court had observed.

The ACC in the final report on the cases said it did not find evidence to substantiate the charges.

On Feb 5, Dhakas Senior Special Judge’s Court acquitted Hasina and the others charged by the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition government 13 years ago.

Those exonerated included late finance minister Shah AMS Kibria, late education minister AHSK Sadeque, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and MP Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir.