A Dhaka court on Tuesday set January 12 for holding hearing on charge framing against BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and others in Barapukuria Coal Mine graft case.

Today was fixed for holding hearing on the matter, but the defence pleaded to allow them time in the case as Khaleda Zia could not appear in the court because of illness. Accepting the plea, Judge AHM Ruhul Imran of the temporary Dhaka Special Judge’s Court No 2 set the new date.

Khaleda Zia’s lawyer Zia Uddin Zia confirmed the matter to the newsmen.

The case was filed at Shahbagh Police Station on February 26, 2008 on the charges of irregularities in the appointment of contractors for the extraction, management and maintenance of the Barapukuria coal mine in Dinajpur and loss and embezzlement of Tk 158.71 crore.

On October 5 of that year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a chargesheet against 16 accused.

Apart from Khaleda Zia, the other accused in the case are: former finance minister M Saifur Rahman (deceased), former local government, rural development and cooperatives minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan (deceased), former industries minister Matiur Rahman Nizami (deceased), former social welfare minister Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid (deceased), Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, MK Anwar (deceased), M Shamsul Islam (deceased), Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Barrister Aminul Haque, AKM Mosharraf Hossain, Former Acting Secretary to the Ministry of Energy Nazrul Islam, Former Chairman of Petrobangla SR Osmani, Former director Moinul Ahsan, former managing director of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Mohammad Sirajul Islam and Moazzem Hossain, chairman of Hosaf Group, a local agent of the mining company.