Dhaka, Nov 27 (V7N) — BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and three others were acquitted today in the Barapukuria coal mine corruption case by Dhaka Special Judge Court-3. Judge Md. Abu Taher issued the acquittal while ordering the trial to proceed against two remaining accused.

The case was initially under Dhaka Special Judge Court-2 but was transferred to Judge Court-3 following an application by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Khaleda Zia’s lawyers, Zia Uddin and Hannan Bhuiyan, confirmed that the acquitted individuals include former Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and former Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain.

This high-profile case, filed by the ACC on February 26, 2008, accused Khaleda Zia and 12 of her cabinet members of corruption in the Barapukuria coal mine project. However, the case has seen several key developments over the years. Two of the accused, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, were hanged for war crimes. Additionally, five other accused, including former ministers MK Anwar and M Shamsul Islam, have passed away.

Today’s ruling narrows the scope of the trial, with charges framed against the remaining two accused, setting the stage for continued proceedings in this long-standing corruption case.

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