A Dhaka court yesterday summoned former commerce adviser and BNP leader Barkat Ullah Bulu and issued arrest warrants against his wife and eight others in a fraud case.

The other accused are Bulu's wife Shamima Akhter, also one of directors of Capital Tower Private LTD, its Chairman Sabiha Iqbal, finance director Mohammad Mohsin, its directors Monwara Kamal, Zahura Kamal, Palash Ahmed Shibu and Mohamamd Shah Alam, two shareholders Mohammad Jasim Uddin and Sakina Begum.

The BNP leader was accused of his alleged involvement with influencing other accused to sell the shops and basement secretly and pressed other accused to sign all the documents, even though he is not a shareholder of the company.

Metropolitan Magistrate Utpal Chowdhury passed the order hours after Khurshid Morsheda Akhter, another shareholder of the company, filed the case against the accused for misappropriating Tk 9.63 crore from the company on different dates.

The court asked Bulu to appear before it on May 4 while officers-in-charge of Darussalam, Tejgaon and Shah Ali police stations to submit reports on execution of arrest warrants issued against the accused.

In the complaint, Morsheda said that the accused in collusion with others misappropriated Tk 9,63,59,000 from the company sometime between October 14,2004 and March 31 this year.

The money was earned after selling its basement and shops.