Power plant graft case against Hasina adjourned till July 1

Dhaka, Jun 18 (UNI) A Bangladesh special court hearing petitions pertaining to power plant graft case against the Awami League President and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina today adjourned the charge-framing hearing till July 1.

Justice Mohammad Firoz Alam of the Special Court-1 shifted the date as the case records were in the High Court following a petition filed by the former prime minister, seeking quashment of the case proceedings against her, Daily Star reported.

On September 2 last year, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Sabbir Hasan, filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station, accusing the former premier Hasina and six others of using their influence through mutual understanding in helping a foreign company and its local partners win a deal for setting up the 100MW barge-mount power plants in Haripur, Khulna and Shikalbaha, depriving the lowest bidder.

Ms Hasina is already out on parole since June 11.

Another former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chief Beguma Khaleda Zia is also detained on corruption charges.

Between the two, Ms Hasina and Ms Khaleda alternated as prime ministers of Bangladesh for 15 years marked by political unrest and corruption. Both the women were imprisoned on charges of alleged corruption since last year.

Ms Khaleda's BNP and Ms Hasina's Awami League together represent around 80 per cent of Bangladesh's more than 140 million people and analysts say one of the two parties will form the next government.

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