Dhaka: BNP chairperson Khelda Zia on Wednesday expressed her reluctance to appear before the court in the Barapukuria coalmine corruption case.

A custody warrant stating that Khaleda Zia is unwilling to appear was presented by the jail authorities before Judge of the Special Judge’s Court-2 ASM Ruhul Imran.

Later, the court set April 9 for the next hearing in the case accepting the time petition filed by Khaleda’s lawyer, reports the UNB.

On February 26, the court issued a production warrant against Khaleda and ordered her to appear before it on March 13.

On February 25, the High Court ordered for disposing of the corruption case against Khaleda and 10 others within six months. 

On February 26, 2008, the ACC filed the case at Shahbagh Police Station accusing 16 people, including Khaleda and 10 of her former cabinet colleagues. They were accused of taking Tk 159.71 crore in kickbacks on the Barapukuria coalmine deal which was awarded to the highest bidder instead of the lowest one.

Among the accused, Motiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed were executed for war crimes while former Finance Minister Saifur Rahman, BNP leader Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and former Petrobangla chairman AR Osmani have died by the time.

The ACC pressed charges against the accused on October 5, 2008.

Responding to a petition filed by Khaleda, the HC on October 16 that year stayed the case proceedings and issued a rule asking the ACC to explain why the case should not be quashed.

The Appellate Division later upheld the stay order as well, leaving the corruption case in the cold.
Later on September 17, 2015, the HC lifted the stay order resuming the trial proceedings of the case.