Court Correspondent: The case is being heard in  the temporary court of Dhaka Special Judge`s Court No. 9 in Dhaka Central Jail No. 2 in Keraniganj.

The BNP chairperson did not appear in person on Tuesday but appeared in court through a lawyer. His lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder heard his plea for release.

He said, “The decision and signing of the Niko agreement was signed by Khaleda Zia`s previous prime minister. Khaleda Zia just implemented it. Therefore, the allegations brought against him in this case are not true and appropriate. ”

Following the partial hearing, Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman fixed March 16 for the rest of the hearing.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has repeatedly called for time, arguing that it is `not safe` to get out of the epidemic, and the hearing in the Niko corruption case has been repeatedly postponed.

Her lawyer Masud Ahmed Talukder told Asia Bani: "We have told the judge that Khaleda Zia has not been brought to the court again and again as she has been in jail before. That is why the hearing has been postponed. This is not our fault. ”

On December 9, 2007, ACC Assistant Director Muhammad Mahbubul Alam filed a case against five people, including Khaleda Zia, at the Tejgaon police station, alleging financial loss and corruption in the state through an opaque agreement with the Canadian company Nike.

On May 5, 2016, charges were filed against 11 people, including Khaleda Zia. They were accused of causing financial loss of about Tk 13,006 crore to the state.

Other accused in the case are BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, then chief secretary to the prime minister Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former acting secretary at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Khandaker Shahidul Islam and former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf. , Former general manager of Bapex Mir Moinul Haque, former secretary of Bapex. Shafiur Rahman, businessman Gias Uddin Al Mamun, former Bagerhat MP MAH Selim and Nike`s South Asia Vice President Kashem Sharif.

Earlier, the trial of this case was going on in a temporary court set up at Alia Madrasa ground in Old Dhaka. Later, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs ordered to transfer the trial of Khaleda Zia`s cases pending in the lower court to a temporary sitting of the jail building in Keraniganj.

BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has already been sentenced to 10 and seven years in prison in two corruption cases.

Following the outbreak of Keranavirus in the country, the government suspended his sentence for six months on March 25 on humanitarian grounds at the request of his family. It was later extended for another six months.

Since then, 65-year-old Khaleda has been receiving treatment under the supervision of private doctors from her rented house in Gulshan.