Niko graft: Appellate decision on Khaleda petition on Thursday

The Appellate Division will deliver on Thursday its verdict on Khaleda Zia’s leave to appeal against an order which rejected her request for scrapping the Niko graft case against her.

A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha scheduled the verdict on the BNP chairperson’s plea on Monday.

The case was filed by the Anti Corruption Commission on Dec 9, 2007 after Khaleda’s arrest following the takeover of state power by an army-backed caretaker government.    

The chargesheet filed next year accused the former prime minister and 10 others of causing a loss of Tk 137 billion to the state exchequer by claiming three gas wells were abandoned before handing them over to Canadian firm, Niko Resources, for exploration.

The case was put on freeze on Jul 9, 2008 after Khaleda moved the High Court. A rule too was issued asking defendants why the charges should not declared beyond legal purview and annulled.

She was granted bail in the case on Sept 9. 

Last year, the ACC revived the case.

In June, the High Court gave its verdict, rejecting Khaleda’s plea and removing the stay order on the case.

Khaleda was then ordered to surrender in court.

The BNP chief surrendered at the Special Judges Court on Nov 30 last year and was granted bail. The judge then scheduled an indictment hearing for the case.

But Khaleda, after getting full copy of the High Court’s verdict, filed a leave to appeal application at the apex court.