Graft case: SC rejects Khaleda’s leave to appeal

The Supreme Court rejected Khaleda Zia’s leave to appeal petition seeking a stay on trial proceedings against her in Niko graft case on Thursday morning.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed a leave to appeal petition filed by Khaleda challenging the verdict of High Court.

Khaleda filed the petition on December 7 last year challenging a High Court verdict that cleared the way for the lower court to run the trial proceedings in the case.

In the petition she also prayed to the apex court to stay the trial proceedings of the case against her.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case in December, 2007 accusing Khaleda and several others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko when she was prime minister between 2001 and 2006.