Khaleda declines to apply for release: Govt asked to send Tarique, Koko

Detained former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday declined to apply for her release, but would receive medical treatment at home saying that she won't sign any bond for her freedom.

"I cannot go abroad leaving people in distress. I will receive treatment in the country without any conditions attached," she told her lawyers in the special court where hearing on charge framing in the GATCO scam case was held.

Talking to her lawyers during an hour-long legal consultation in connection with the trial against her, she was quoted by Adv Masud Talukdar as saying, "I did not make any appeal or request and I wouldn't do so for my release for treatment."

Khaleda alleged that Tarique and Koko were in good health before their arrest but fell sick in custody for which she blamed the Government.

She demanded of the Government to send her two sons aboard for better medical treatment saying that the law should be the same for all.

Khaleda, her younger son Koko, and former ministers Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, M Shamsul Islam, MK Anwar and Motiur Rahman Nizami were produced before the Special Judge's Court-3 for charge framing proceedings.

Out of 24 accused in the GATCO case 16 were produced before the court yesterday.

Koko was taken to the court from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital by an ambulance. Koko appeared sitting in a wheelchair along with a standby oxygen cylinder and his physician. After a stay for a few minutes in the court, Koko was taken back to his hospital prison cell.

The arraignment hearing on the GATCO case was once again deferred to June 24 following Sunday's order of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court adjourned for one month the hearing of the Anti-Corruption Commission's application against a High Court order that granted bail to detained ex-PM Khaleda Zia and her son Arafat Rahman Koko in the GATCO case and stayed the case proceedings.

The special court of Judge Shahed Noor Uddin passed the order when the defence counsel pointed out the apex court order.

The court resumed at 10:52am after the principal accused, Khaleda Zia, and 16 others who are in custody were produced before the court.

Begum Zia talked to her former cabinet colleagues M Shamsul Islam, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Nizami in the dock. Mannan Bhuiyan however looked quiet and kept his head bowed down, court sources said.

On May 13, the ACC submitted charge sheet against ex-PM Khaleda Zia and 23 others. The case was filed with Tejgaon police station on September 2 last year.

According to the case, the accused in connivance with each other awarded GATCO, an inefficient company, the contract for container handling at depots in Dhaka and Chittagong causing a loss over Tk 14 crore to the state coffer.

The name of former shipping minister Akbar Hossain, one of the main accused, was dropped from the chargesheet after his death. Seven people accused in the case are still absconding.

The case was initially set for trial under metropolitan senior special judge Md Azizul Haque, but the case proceedings were later shifted to the special court on security grounds.