Dhaka: High Court on Wednesday rejected two appeal petitions filed by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia to null and void the Gatco graft case.

A HC bench comprising Justice Mohammad Nuruzzaman and Justice Abdur Rab rejected the petitions and asked run trial of the graft case.

The court also ordered Khaleda Zia to surrender before the judicial court within two months.

Khaleda Zia submitted a writ petition challenging the legality of the inclusion of the Gatco graft case and asking to cancel graft case.

Advocate Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, AG Mohammad Ali, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, and Barrister Badruddoza Badal were present in the court on behalf of Khaleda Zia.

Earlier, on 17 June, the apex court put the verdict of the case awaiting after completing the final hearing. On 2 August, the HC bench fixed 5 August for delivering the verdict.

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.