GATCO graft case: Charge framing against Khaleda, 15 others July 10

A Dhaka court has fixed July 10 for framing of charges against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and 15 other accused in the Global Agrotrade Private Limited (GATCO) corruption case.

The court of Dhaka-3 Special Court Judge Ali Hossain was scheduled to hear the complaint on Tuesday (June 25). Khaleda Zia's lawyers took part in the hearing, but as the hearing did not end, July 10 was fixed for the hearing on charge framing, said Khaleda Zia's lawyers Zia Uddin Zia and Hannan Bhuiyan.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury filed this case on September 2, 2007 with Tejgaon police station, accusing 13 people including the then prime minister Khaleda Zia, and her younger son, Arafat Rahman Koko,

Khaleda Zia and Koko were arrested the day after the case was filed. On September 18 of that year, the case was included in the Special Power Act. Next year, on May 13, a charge sheet was submitted against 24 people including Khaleda Zia.

As per the case statement, the accused have caused a loss of Tk 14.56 crore to the state by providing the work of container handling of Kamlapur Inland Container Depot (ICD) of Dhaka and Chittagong Port to the contracting company GATCO in collusion with each other.

Out of the 24 accused in this case, eight including former minister M Saifur Rahman have died. Besides, as the death sentence of former Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Matiur Rahman Nizami has been executed, he was also released from the case.

Currently, the number of accused in this case including Khaleda Zia is 15.