Niko graft case: Court allows 3 foreigners to testify against Khaleda Zia

A Dhaka court has allowed a former US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official and two members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to testify against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and eight others in the Niko graft case. 

Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of Dhaka Special Judge Court 9 (temporary) located in Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj passed the order after a hearing on Sunday. 

The witnesses are retired FBI supervisory special agent Debra LaPrevotte Griffith and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Kevin Duggan and Lloyd Schoepp.

Previously, on Tuesday, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin filed an application seeking permission to produce the witnesses before the court. The court fixed Sunday as the next date of hearing.

The court was scheduled to cross-examine then-assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Mohammad Mahbubul Alam. 

Khaleda Zia's lawyer appeared for her. The hearing was then held on the plea to take three foreign witnesses. The court granted the petition and fixed October 10 for the next hearing.

On March 19, the court framed charges against the accused in the case. Khaleda, who is now out on bail, pleaded not guilty through her lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder on that day and demanded justice.

The other accused in the case are Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, Khandaker Shahidul Islam, CM Eusuf Hossain, Mir Moinul Haque, Gias Uddin Al Mamun, Selim Bhuiyan and Kashem Sharif.

The anti-graft body filed the case against five including Begum Khaleda Zia at Tejgaon police station on December 9, 2007 for abusing power in signing a deal with the Canadian company Niko for exploring and extracting gas.

The ACC on May 5, 2008 pressed charges against 11 people including Khaleda Zia. The ACC accused them of incurring a loss of more than Tk13,000 crore to the state exchequer by signing that deal.