Dhaka: A money loan court on Sunday ordered Sonali Bank to publish advertisements in national newspapers asking BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, her son Arafat Rahman’s widow Sharmila Rahman, and two granddaughters to appear before it by 17 May in a loan default case.

Dhaka Money Loan Court-1 Judge Fatema Ferdous passed the order following a writ petition filed by advocate Jahangir Hossain, on behalf of the state-run Sonali Bank, against Dandy Dyeing - a company in which members of Khaleda Zia’s family served as directors. The company is now out of business.

The petition mentioned that as the defendants did not respond to the summons issued by the court earlier, it requested the bank to publish the advertisement in two vernacular dailies -Kaler Kontho and Inqilab.

On 22 March, the same court had summoned the BNP chairperson and her co-defendants to appear before it on Sunday in the loan default case.

Earlier, following a Sonali Bank plea, the court had agreed to enlist the same four individuals as inheritors of late Arafat Rahman Koko, one of the directors of the company, who passed away last 24 January.

The court ruled them liable for the unpaid debts left behind by him.

Lawyers for Sonali Bank filed the case on 2 October 2012, alleging that the defendants had failed to repay a Tk 45.49 crore loan, even after a final notice was issued.