Dhaka, Sep 8 (V7N)- A Dhaka court has ordered the appearance of all witnesses, including the investigation officer, in the Niko corruption case involving BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and others.

Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-9 issued the directive on Sunday following a request by Public Prosecutor Fatema Khanam, representing the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), to delay the proceedings due to the absence of witnesses.

Khaleda Zia's defense team, however, urged the court to conclude the witness hearings. "The ACC has failed to present witnesses on the last three scheduled dates, which is unnecessarily harassing the accused. The case should move towards the acquittal of the defendants if witnesses continue to be absent," Khaleda’s lawyer, Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan, argued during the hearing.

After hearing both sides, the court ordered all witnesses to appear on September 12. If witnesses fail to attend on that date, it could lead to the acquittal of Khaleda Zia and the other accused, according to court sources.

So far, testimonies from two individuals, including the plaintiff, have been recorded. The former managing director of BAPEX, Md Abdul Baki, has also partially testified.

The case, filed by the ACC on December 9, 2007, accuses Khaleda Zia and four others of abusing power by signing a deal with Canadian company Niko for gas exploration. The ACC’s charge sheet, submitted on May 5, 2008, names 11 individuals, alleging a loss of over Tk13,000 crore to the state.

Other accused in the case include Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, Khandaker Shahidul Islam, CM Eusuf Hossain, Mir Moinul Haque, Gias Uddin Al Mamun, MAH Selim Bhuiyan, and Kashem Sharif. Charges against Moudud Ahmed, AKM Mosharraf Hossain, and Md Shafiur Rahman were dropped following their natural deaths.

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