A Dhaka Court on Thursday heard part of the deposition of a prosecution witness in the radar purchase corruption case against former military dictator Hussein Muhammad Ershad and four others.
Divisional Special Judge Mohammad Nurul Islam heard the deposition and cross examination and fixed August 14 for the hearing of the next prosecution witness.
The prosecution has so far produced 11 witnesses for cross-examination.
Anti-corruption commission (ACC) Deputy Director Monzur Ahamed, also a member of the investigation team on the case, was the prosecution witness on Thursday.
He said in his deposition that the then Air Force chief had filed an application to President Ziaur Rahman for purchasing a radar. A meeting presided over by Ziaur Rahman had decided to purchase three radars from France.
According to the case Ershad and the other accused had purchased radars from the United States in exchange for financial benefit. The government lost Tk640.4m for their illegal purchase.
The other three accused in the case are: former Air Force chiefs Sultan Mahmud and Momtaj Uddin Ahmed and the director of United Traders AKM Musa.
The accused AKM Musa has been absconding from the beginning of the case.
Ershad was absent but the other two were present before the court during the deposition.
The then assistant superintendent of Anti-Corruption Bureau Md Ali Haider filed the case with the Cantonment Police Station on April 4, 1992.