A Dhaka court has acquitted BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and seven others in the Niko corruption case.
Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka's Special Judge Court 4 announced the verdict on Wednesday.
The other acquitted individuals are former principal secretary to the prime minister Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former Bapex general manager Mir Moynul Haque, Niko’s South Asia Vice President Kashem Sharif, former acting secretary of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Khandaker Shahidul Islam, former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf Hossain, businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun, and International Travel Corporation Chairman Salim Bhuiyan.
Earlier, on February 13, the court set the verdict date after concluding the defence hearing and arguments. The accused pleaded not guilty during the hearing.
Khaleda Zia, currently in London for treatment, could not appear in court.
The witness testimony phase ended on February 5, with 39 out of 68 witnesses testifying.
Md Mahbubul Alam, then assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), filed the case at Tejgaon police station on December 9, 2007 against Begum Khaleda Zia, accusing her of abusing power in signing a deal with the Canadian company Niko for gas exploration and extraction.
On May 5, 2008, the ACC pressed charges against 11 individuals, including Khaleda, alleging that the deal had caused a loss of Tk13,777 crore to the state exchequer.
On March 19, 2023, the same court rejected an appeal for the discharge of eight of the accused and ordered the framing of charges against them.
The names of former BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister for energy and mineral resources AKM Mosharraf Hossain and former Bapex secretary Md Shafiur Rahman had been dropped due to their death.
