BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will move to the Supreme Court against a High Court order that rejected her petition challenging the legality of trial in the Niko graft case.
The BNP chief’s lawyer AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon told reporters yesterday that Khaleda was out on bail in the case and has been asked by the High Court to surrender before the trial court. After Khaleda returns from London, she will appeal against the High Court order as soon as possible, the lawyer added.
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.
The bench of of Justice MD Nuruzzaman and Justice Zafar Ahmed also directed Khaleda to surrender before a lower court within two months of releasing the full text of the High Court order. The High Court also asked the lower court concerned to consider granting bail to the BNP chief if she surrenders and does not misuse her bail.
Following the order, Khaleda’s lawyer had told reporters they would appeal with the Supreme Court.
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.
