Lawyer seeks Khaleda Zia's exemption in Gatco graft case
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Khaleda could not appear in court due to illness
The lawyer representing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has requested her exemption from the Gatco corruption case.
The case was scheduled to be heard in the court of Judge Ali Hossain at the temporary special judge court-3 established at Keraniganj Central Jail in Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon.
However, Khaleda Zia could not appear in court due to illness. Lawyer Syed Zainul Abedin Mejbah appeared on her behalf and applied to postpone the hearing.
During the hearing, Syed Zainul Abedin Mejbah mentioned that Khaleda Zia's lawyer Masood Ahmed Talukder is currently in Australia for family affairs.
He will represent Khaleda Zia for the exemption, but he has not returned to the country yet. The lawyer requested time in this regard.
The court rejected the application for the time being and instructed to proceed with the complaint hearing.
Later, Syed Zainul Abedin Mejbah initiated the hearing on behalf of Khaleda Zia. After a partial hearing, the lawyer requested time again, which the court granted, setting the next hearing date for February 15.
Khaleda Zia's lawyer Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan provided this information, stating that the exemption for Khaleda Zia in the case was sought during the charge-framing hearing.
On September 2, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against 13 people, including Khaleda and her younger son Arafat Rahman, with Tejgaon police station on charges of misappropriating around Tk1,000 crore while dealing with Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Company Ltd (Gatco).
The next day, Khaleda Zia and Koko were arrested.
On May 13, 2008, the anti-graft body pressed charges against the BNP chief and 23 others, adding 11 in the case.
Later, the names of six accused, including Khaleda's younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, were dropped from the charge sheet following their deaths on different dates.