Khaleda seeks bail today in Niko case
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will surrender before a Dhaka court today and seek bail in the 2007 Niko corruption case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case in December that year, bringing charges against Khaleda and several others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was prime minister between 2001 and 2006.
The BNP chief will appear before the Special Judge Court-9 of Dhaka at 11:30am, Khaleda's panel lawyer Sanaullah Miah confirmed yesterday.
The anti-graft body pressed charges against Khaleda and 10 others in May 2008. Two months later the High Court stayed the proceedings of the case.
On June 18 this year, the HC cleared the way for the trial proceedings to resume and ordered the BNP chief to surrender before the trial court within two months after a copy of the HC verdict reached it.
Former law minister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former acting energy secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam and Kashem Sharif, vice-president (South Asia) of Niko Resources Bangladesh Ltd, are also accused in the case.
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