by Staff CorrespondentDhaka – A Dhaka court on Wednesday discharged former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia and two of his former cabinet colleagues from a graft case involving a coal mine contact that allegedly incurred loss of 159 crore taka.
Judge Md Abu Taher of Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 passed the order, allowing separate discharge petitions filed for the three accused including former ministers Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain,.
The court, however, framed charges against Moajjem Hossain, Nazrul Islam, Moinul Ahsan and Md Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, initiating the trial officially.
There were 13 accused in the case, according to the case document.
Of those former ministers Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed were hanged after getting convicted in crimes against humanity cases, while Barrister Aminul Huq, MK Anwar, M Shamsul Islam and AKM Mosharraf Hossain died of natural causes and their names were dropped from the charges.
The Anti-Corruption Commission on February 26, 2008, filed the graft case against Zia and 15 others with Shahbagh Police Station. ACC deputy director Md Abul Kashem Fokir on October 5, 2008, filed a charge sheet in the case.
They were accused of causing a loss of around 159 crore taka to the state exchequer by awarding a contract for the operation of the Barapukuria Coalmine to a Chinese company through abuse of power.
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