Khaleda Zia, two others exempted from Gatco graft case

BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Dr Kandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury were exempted from Gatco graft case on Thursday.

Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 Judge Abu Taher passed the order after holding a hearing on framing charges in the case.

The court, however, framed charges against 12 others accused, including the former chairman of Chittagong Port Authority Commodore (Retd) Zulfikar Ali.

Others in the list of 12 charged individuals are — Jahanara Ansar, Ismail Hossain Saimon, AKM Musa Kazal, Ehsan Eusuf, Zulfiqar Haider Chowdhury, AK Rashid Uddin Ahmed, then Gatco director Shahjahan M Hasib, Syed Tanvir Ahmed, Syed Galib Ahmed, ASM Shahadat Hossain, and AM Sanowar Hossain.

On September 2, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station against Khaleda, her younger son Arafat Rahman and several others on charges of misappropriating around Tk 1,000 crore while dealing with Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Company Ltd (Gatco) for container management at inland container depots in Dhaka and Chattogram.

On May 13, 2008, the anti-graft body pressed charges against the former premier Khaleda and 23 others.

Of the 24 accused, names of eight other accused, including Arafat Rahman Koko, Saifur Rahman were dropped from the charge sheet following their deaths on different dates. Another accused Matiur Rahman Nizami was hanged in a crimes against humanity case.

As their names were dropped, 15 accused to face trial in the case.