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Court orders arrest of six ex-ministers for graft
A Dhaka court yesterday ordered the arrest of six influential former ministers of detained former prime minister Khalida Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led four-party government in connection with a major graft case.
- By Anisur Rahman, Correspondent
- Published: 00:38 May 16, 2008
Dhaka: A Dhaka court yesterday ordered the arrest of six influential former ministers of detained former prime minister Khalida Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led four-party government in connection with a major graft case.
Special judge Mohammad Azizul Hoque issued the arrest warrant two days after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) chargesheeted Zia along with 23 others, including her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and government officials.
The former cabinet ministers were charged for their roles in handing the "unqualified" Bangladeshi Global Agro Trade Company (GATCO) the task of handling containers at the Inland Container Depot in Dhaka and at southeastern Chittagong Port allegedly in exchange for kickbacks that left the state exchequer poorer by nearly 14.56 crore takas (Dh7.94m).
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was the industries minister in Zia's cabinet, was among the accused in the case, which is to be tried under the tough Emergency Power Rules.
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