A Dhaka court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in the Gatco graft case until May 14.
Judge Abu Syed Dilzar Hossain of Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 deferred the date for the indictment hearing in the case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, as the prime accused was absent in court.
Tuesday was originally set as the date for holding the hearing on the charges, but the jail authorities could not produce Khaleda Zia before the court as she is undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), reports BSS.
On September 2, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against 13 people—including Khaleda and her younger son, Arafat Rahman—with the Tejgaon police station for their alleged corruption while penning a contract with Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Co Ltd (Gatco) for container management at inland container depots in Dhaka and Chittagong.
Formal charges were submitted against 24 suspects on May 13, 2008. However, of the accused, six, including Arafat, and former ministers Saifur Rahman and Matiur Rahman Nizami, have passed away.
The BNP chairperson later filed two writ petitions with the High Court challenging the legality of bringing the case under emergency power rules, and sought a stay on the case proceedings in the trial court.
The High Court on July 15, 2008, stayed the trial proceedings of the case and issued separate rulings in that regard.