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HC asks for Niko graft case documents

Charge-framing hearingin MiG-29 case deferred

Staff Correspondent
The High Court yesterday asked the trial court of Niko corruption case to send the case records to it by June 30 for scrutiny as the main accused, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, petitioned for quashment of the case.
A special court, meantime, set July 2 to decide whether to exempt Hasina from appearing at court hearings in person in connection with an extortion case filed by businessman Azam J Chowdhury while another special court deferred charge-framing hearing in MiG-29 graft case against the former prime minister and six other people to June 26.
The Awami League president, now in the US for treatment after being released for eight weeks on executive order, has already been exempted from the obligation to appear at court in person in four NEWS
.graft cases.
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Chowdhury case will also pass its judgment on the bail petition filed by former health minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Se) im on July 2.
NIKO CORRUPTION CASE
The High Court bench of Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Mashuque Hossain Ahmed set June 30 for next hearing on the case.
The case is now pending with the Special Judge’s Court-2.
The Ant i - Co r r upt ion Commission's (ACC) Deputy Director SM Sabbir Hasan filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on December 9 last year, accusing Hasina and six other people of corruption and abuse of power . while awarding three abandoned' gas fields to Canadian energy company Niko during the Awami League government.
The case statement said the Niko deal caused a loss of Tk 13.6 crore to the state exchequer.
The ACC filed charge sheet on May 7, indicting two more people for the alleged corruption.
Hasina's counsels barrister Rafique-ul Huq and barrister Shafique Ahmed told the court that the ACC did not follow due process while sanctioning its official to file the case.
Stating that the case is false and fabricated, they said the case proceedings cannot continue as the former prime minister was not involved in any corruption in the Niko deal.
AZAM J CHOWDHURY CASE As the Awami League president's counsel advocate Sahara Khatun appealed for exempting Hasina from appearingat court hearings in person. Judge Md Ashraf Hossain said he would give his decision on July 2 after studying the case documents of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in this regard.
Earlier on February 6, the High -Xourt dismissed the extortion case and also declared it illegal to bring the case within the purview of the Emergency Power Rules. The Appellate Division afterwards overruled the HC order, allowing the trial court to proceed with the case.
The plaintiff in his case statement stated that the former prime minister took around Tk 3 crore in extortion from him in exchange for awarding him work permit for a power-plant project during her
premiership.
MiG-29 CASE
Dhaka Divisional Special Judge M Golam Mortuza Majumder deferred the hearing after the defence petitioned to that end.
Hasina's counsels told the court that they cannot take part in the charge-framing hearing in the absence of senior defence lawyer Shafique Ahmed who was at the time seeking the quashment of Niko graft case against the Awami League president at the High Court.
The prosecution, however, opposed the defence bid. saying that the hearing could go ahead as counsels for other accused had made out their case.
Advocate Sahara Khatun was present in the court on behalf of Hasina, who had earlier been exempted from appearing at court in person in the case.