Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday fixed May 28 as the date for delivering its verdict on the petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for quashing proceedings of Barapukuria coalmine corruption case against her.

A four‐member bench of the Appellate Division, led‐by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, fixed the date upon completion of the hearing on the petition in the morning.

AJ Mohammad Ali stood for the BNP chief while M Khurshed Alam Khan argued for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

On September 17 last year, the High Court (HC) rejected a petition filed by Khaleda Zia for quashing proceedings of Barapukuria coalmine corruption case against her.

Later, she filed a petition with the Appellate Division seeking cancellation of the HC verdict as well as the quashing of the graft case proceedings.

On February 26, 2008, the ACC filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station, accusing Khaleda Zia and 10 of her former cabinet colleagues of taking Tk159 crore in kickbacks on the Barapukuria coalmine deal awarded to the highest bidder, instead of the lowest one.

Responding to a petition filed by Khaleda, the HC on October 16, 2008, 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.

Khaleda Zia, however, managed to secure a permanent bail in the case on January 15, 2012.

Following a petition of the ACC, the HC revived the case on March 2 of that year.

On August 23, the HC turned down two petitions filed by Khaleda seeking all records of and the final report on Barapukuria coalmine graft case from the authorities concerned.