Former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. -File Photo

DHAKA, Feb 13, 2025(BSS) - The Special Judge Court-4 of Dhaka today fixed February 19 to deliver the judgment of Niko graft case against former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and seven others.

Judge of the court Rabiul Alam today fixed the date to deliver the judgment after concluding the examination and cross examination in the case.

Meanwhile, the lawyers of Begum Khaleda Zia have expressed their hope that she (Begum Khaleda Zia) would be acquitted from the charge in the verdict.

Advocate Zia Uddin Zia and Advocate Syed Joynul Abedin Mejba told BSS that this case was initiated against Begum Khaleda Zia due to political vengeance. The state prosecution could not prove any allegations against Begum Khaleda Zia, so it is clear that the allegation was completely fake and baseless.

We hope that Begum Khaleda Zia would be acquitted from the charge, they added.

Md Mahbubul Alam, the then Assistant Director (AD) of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on December 9 in 2007, filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station against Begum Khaleda Zia for abusing power in signing a deal with Canadian company Niko for exploring and extracting gas.
 
On May 5, 2018, the ACC submitted a charge sheet against 11 persons including Begum Khaleda Zia to the court accusing them of causing a loss of Taka 13,777 crore to the state exchequer by signing the deal. 

Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, Judge of the Special Court number-9 temporarily set up at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on March 19 in 2023 framed charges against the accused.
 
The seven other accused of the case are Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former principal secretary to the former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Khandkar Shahidul Islam, former acting secretary to the Energy and Mineral Resources ministry, CM Yusuf Hossain, former senior assistant secretary, Mir Moinul Haque, former general manager of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX), businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun, Selim Bhuiyan, Chairman of International Travel Corporation and Kashem Sharif, South Asia Affairs Vice President of the Niko.

On the other hand, the names of BNP former standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister for energy and mineral resources AKM Mosharaf Hossain and former secretary of BAPEX Md Shafiur Rahman were dropped from the charge as they have already died.

The court, however, recorded the depositions of 39 prosecution witnesses out of 68 during the trial.