Khaleda seeks to appeal against HC decision on Barapukuria coal mine graft case

BNP chief Khaleda Zia has moved to file an appeal against the High Court verdict, which cleared her trial in the graft charges over the Barapukuria coal mine.

Her counsel Mahbub Uddin Khokon filed a leave-to-appeal plea with the Supreme Court on Sunday. It also sought a freeze on the case’s proceedings in the trial court.

“According to the rules, it will be now submitted to the Chamber Judge’s court for a hearing,” he told bdnews24.com.

In September last year, the High Court scrapped Khaleda’s petition seeking to quash the charges and lifted a freeze on the case’s proceedings.

Following the verdict, a Dhaka court has summoned the BNP chief and eight others to appear before it on Jul 24 in the case filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

The three times prime minister and 10 others are accused of causing the state exchequer a loss of about Tk 1.59 billion by signing a deal with the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) to operate and manage the Barapukuria coalmine in the northern district of Dinajpur.

The ACC filed the case in 2008 with a police station in Dhaka and the chargesheet was submitted in October 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. 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 last year.