Khaleda Zia acquitted in Niko graft case

A Dhaka court has acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and seven others in connection with the Niko graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Judge Robiul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 passed the order on Wednesday (February 18).

The seven others are - BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman's close friend Giausuddin Al Mamun, former acting secretary for energy ministry Khondaker Shahidul Islam, former Dhaka Club president Selim Bhuiyan, former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf Hussain, former principal secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former general manager of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX), Mir Moynul Haque, and former president of Niko Resources (Bangladesh) Limited Kashem Sharif.

Earlier on February 13, the court fixed the date after concluding the examination and cross-examination in the case.

Md Mahbubul Alam, the then Assistant Director (AD) of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on December 9 in 2007, filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station against Begum Khaleda Zia for abusing power in signing a deal with Canadian company Niko for exploring and extracting gas.