High Court bins two pleas by BNP chief Khaleda in Barapukuria graft case

The High Court has quashed two pleas by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Barapukuria Coal Mine graft case.

Justices Md Nuruzzaman and Abdur Rob gave the order on Sunday regarding the petitions asking for submission of lower court records and Anti Corruption Commission’s final report. 

The pleas were made during the hearing of the BNP chief’s plea asking for the case to be scrapped. They were heard on Aug 19 and the order was scheduled for Sunday.

Her counsel Raghib Rauf Chowdhury said after the hearing that the court turned down the pleas and set the hearing of the rule for Aug 30. 

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 mine.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case on Feb 26, 2008 with Shahbagh police and the chargesheet was submitted on Oct 5 of the same year. 

After 11 days, the High Court 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 the case to a standstill, while Khaleda secured a permanent bail on Jan 15, 2012.

The final hearing on the High Court rule started after the ACC took initiative to revive the case earlier this year.