BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is likely to appear before a lower court in the Niko graft case on Monday.
Khaleda will appear before Special Judge Court 9 around 11am.
The BNP chief's panel lawyer Sanaullah Miah told the Dhaka Tribune : “Khaleda Zia is respectable towards the law. She will appear before the court tomorrow [Monday] and seek bail.”
On June 18 this year, the High Court cleared the way for trying Khaleda Zia in the Niko graft case, by lifting an earlier stay order and rejecting her petition challenging the legality of the case.
It also ordered her to surrender before the trial court after she returns from London.
On December 9, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the graft case with Tejgaon police station, accusing Khaleda and several others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko during her time in office as the prime minister.
The charge sheet in the case was submitted by the ACC in May 2008 against Khaleda and 10 others. Later in July, the High Court stayed the case and directed the ACC and the government to explain why the initiation and proceedings of the case should not be declared illegal.
Recently this year, the ACC again moved to revive the Niko corruption case and a new High Court bench was assigned to dispose of it.
On April 2, a petition was filed seeking the High Court’s decision on whether the proceedings would continue in the Niko graft case.