Dhaka: The High Court on Wednesday cleared the way for a lower court to resume the trial proceedings against former BNP law minister Moudud Ahmed in Niko corruption case.

An HC bench of Justice Obaidul Hasan and Justice Krishna Debnath passed the order rejecting a petition filed by Moudud challenging the trial proceedings of the case.

The court also lifted its earlier stay order on the trial proceedings of the case and discharged a rule.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said now there is no legal bar to the continuation of the trial proceedings against Moudud in the case following the order.

Earlier 1 December 2016, the HC stayed the trial proceedings against Moudud in this case after hearing the petition filed by him.

The ACC on 9 December, 2007 filed the case against Moudud and four others in connection with a Tk 137.77 loss to the national exchequer caused by the signing of an oil‐gas exploration agreement with Niko during BNP regime.

Later, on 5 May, 2008, it submitted the chargesheet against 11 people.

On 9 July, 2008, the High Court adjourned the proceedings of the case.