Dhaka: The High Court is set to deliver its verdict on Wednesday on two petitions filed by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia challenging the inclusion and legality of the Gatco graft case against her.

Khaleda’s counsel Barrister Ahsanur Rahman told NTV Online the verdict will be declared at about 12:00 noon.  

Earlier, on 2 August, an HC bench comprising Justice Mohammad Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rab fixed the date for delivering the judgment.

Khaleda’s lawyer Barrister Ragib Rouf said the HC had kept pending its verdict to be announced any day after the closing arguments in the trial of the petitions.

On 17 June, the same bench concluded the final hearing on the two petitions filed by Khaleda challenging the legality of the inclusion of the Gatco graft case against her after closing arguments.

On 2 September 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the Gatco graft case against Khaleda and 12 others for causing a loss of Tk145.64 crore to the national exchequer by allegedly awarding the contract of container handling at the Chittagong port and the Dhaka’s Inland Container Depot to Gatco.

Khaleda on 27 September 2007 filed a petition with the HC challenging the legality of the inclusion of the case under the Emergency Powers Act and seeking a stay order on the trial proceedings.

In 2008, an HC bench issued a rule and stayed the trial proceedings after hearing a petition of the BNP chief.

In the same year, the proceedings of the graft case were stayed again as Khaleda filed another petition challenging the legality of the case.