Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
A Bangladeshi court has acquitted former PM and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and all other accused in the Niko corruption case, citing lack of evidence and terming the case politically motivated. Delivering the verdict on Wednesday (February 19), Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court-4 stated that the prosecution failed to substantiate the charges, leading to the acquittal of all accused. The court also observed that the case was filed for political harassment during the 2007 military-backed caretaker government. “A similar case was also filed against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but that case was not continued. However, a full trial of this case was held,” the judge noted.
Khaleda Zia, who had been under house arrest since 2018, is currently in London for medical treatment after receiving a presidential pardon in August last year after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. She was represented in court by her lawyer, Mohammad Ziauddin Zia.
The seven others acquitted include former government officials, businessmen, and Niko executives, while three accused were exempted posthumously, including BNP leader Barrister Moudud Ahmed.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in 2007, alleging that Khaleda Zia and others were responsible for financial losses of Tk 13,777 crore due to an opaque deal with Canadian firm Niko. The ACC submitted a charge sheet in May 2018, accusing Khaleda Zia and 10 others of corruption. With this verdict, Khaleda Zia has now been acquitted of all corruption cases filed against her since 2007, including the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust cases.