Niko graft case: Next charge-framing hearing June 23

Staff Correspondent: A Dhaka court has set June 23 for the next hearing on charge-framing against 11 people, including BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, in the Niko graft case.

Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of Dhaka Special Judge Court-9 fixed the date on Thursday.

The date has been deferred as Khaleda Zia was not produced before the court. She is now undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujub Medical University.

On December 9, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case accusing Khaleda and others of causing the state a loss of Tk 137.77 billion by signing an oil-gas exploration deal with Canadian company Niko when the BNP was in office.

Police submitted a charge-sheet against the accused on May 5, 2008.

The others accused in the case are former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddique, Khandaker Shahidul Islam, CM Yusuf Hossain, former Bapex general manager Mir Mainul Haq, its former secretary Shafiur Rahman, Giasuddin Al Mamun, former MP MAH Selim and former vice-president of South-Asia affairs Niko Kashem Sharif.


risingbd/Dhaka/May 30, 2019/Mamun/Mukul