A court in Dhaka has set February 15 next for charge framing hearing on Global Agrotrade Private Limited (Gatco) graft case against 15 accused including BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
Judge Ali Hossain of the Special Judge Court-3 of Dhaka passed the order after a petition on behalf of Begum Khaleda Zia was submitted seeking an adjournment of the hearing because she could not appear before the court due to her illness.
Khaleda Zia's lawyer Syed Zainul Abedin Mesbah held the partial hearing of the case on behalf of his client. Then the lawyer prayed for adjournment of the hearing. Granting the prayer, the court fixed February 15 for hearing of the case.
Begum Khaleda Zia's lawyers Ziauddin Zia and Hannan Bhuiyan confirmed it.
On September 2, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)'s deputy director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury filed the case with Tejgaon Model Police Station against Khaleda Zia, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and 12 others on the charge of misappropriating around Tk 1,000 crore while dealing with Gatco.
On the following day, Khaleda Zia and Koko were arrested. On May 18 of that year, the case was included in the Special Powers Act.
On May 13, 2008, the anti-graft body pressed charge against the former premier and 23 others.
It was mentioned in the charge that the accused had caused losses equivalent of Tk 14.56 crore of the state in connivance with each other by offering container handling work to the contracting firm Gatco at Kamalapur Internal Container Depot in Dhaka and Chattogram seaport.
Among the 24 accused of the case, eight including former Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman and former minister Jamaat-e-Islami's former ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami, have already died. Besides, Jamaat-e-Islami's former ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami has been relieved of the case as the verdict of his hanging has already been executed.
At present, the number of the accused in this case are 15 including Khaleda Zia.
Other accused are former minister Dr Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhry, former chairman of Chattogram Port Authority Commodore Zulfiqar Ali, late minister Colonel (Retd) Akbar Hossain, his wiofe Jahanara Ansar, two sons Ismail Hossain Saimon and AKM Musa Kajol and Ehsan Yusuf.
