Gatco graft case: Khaleda’s charge hearing deferred

A Dhaka court has deferred to February 7 the hearing on charge framing against jailed BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and 16 others in Gatco corruption case.

Judge Abu Syed Diljar Hossain of Special Judge’s Court- 3 of Dhaka passed the order after the defence lawyers sought time from the court saying that they did not get necessary documents of the cases to prepare themselves for the hearing.

Earlier, on January 16, Khaleda didn’t appeared before the court as he fell sick. The jail authorities sent a custody warrant to the court saying that Khaleda Zia was physically sick so that she was not appeared before the court. 

On September 2, 2007, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury filed the graft case with Tejgaon police station against Khaleda, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and 11 others. 

Later on May 13, 2008, a charge sheet was filed in court against 24 people, including the BNP chief. 

According to the charges, the accused caused a loss of Tk145.64 crore to the national exchequer by allegedly awarding the contract of container handling at the Chittagong port and the Dhaka’s Inland Container Depot to Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Company Ltd (Gatco). 

Meanwhile, seven of the accused, including Khaleda’s younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, were dropped from the charge sheet following their deaths on different dates.