Shawdesh Desk:

A Dhaka court on Wednesday re-fixed the hearing date on charge framing against BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and 16 others in connection with Gatco corruption case on January 23, 2022 by replacing the schedule date.

Judge Ali Hossen of special court no-3 of Dhaka located at Keraniganj Central Jail re-fixed the new date after filing a plea for extending time of hearing on charge framing due to absence of Begum Zia for her illness.

On September 2, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had filed the case against 13 people, including Khaleda and her younger son Arafat Rahman with Tejgaon Police Station on charges of misappropriating around Taka 1,000 crore while dealing with Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Company Ltd (Gatco).

On May 13, 2008, the anti-graft body pressed charges against the former premier and 23 others. Meanwhile, the names of seven other accused, including Khaleda’s younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, were dropped from the charge sheet following their deaths on different dates.

The other accused are ex-BNP Minister M Shamsul Islam, former State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources AK Mosharraf Hossen, former Minister Dr Khondoker Mosharraf Hossen, former Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Commodore Julfikar Ali, Jahanara Akber, wife ofdeceased former minister Colonel (retd) Akbar Hossen, and their two sons– Ismail Hossen Saimon and AKM Musa Kazal, former Shipping Secretary Julfikar Haider Chowdhury, former CPA member AK Rashid Uddin Ahmed, GATCO Directors Shahjahan M Hasib and Syed Tanvir Ahmed and Syed Galib Ahmed, CPA former Chairman ASM Shahadat Hossen, former Port Director (transport) AM Sanowar Hossen and
former Port Member Lutful Kabir.