The court has fixed February 19 to announce the verdict in the Niko corruption case filed against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and eight others. Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka's Special Judge's Court-4 announced the date of verdict on Thursday.
According to the case records, on December 9, 2007, the then assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Muhammad Mahbubul Alam filed a case against Khaleda Zia and five others at Tejgaon Police Station. The case was filed on charges of causing financial loss to the state and corruption through an opaque agreement with Canadian company Niko. Later, on May 5, 2018, a charge sheet was filed against Khaleda Zia and 11 others in the court. In it, they were accused of causing financial loss of about Tk 13,777 crore to the state.
The court framed charges in this case on March 19, 2023. The other seven accused in the case are Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, the then-Prime Minister's principal secretary, Khandaker Shahidul Islam, former acting secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf Hossain, former general manager of Bapex Mir Moynul Haque, businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun, chairman of International Travel Corporation Selim Bhuiyan and vice president of South Asia affairs of Niko Kashem Sharif.
On the other hand, BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain and former secretary of Bapex Md. Shafiur Rahman have been discharged from the case due to their deaths.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
