Dhaka, January 14, 2025: The testimony of 8 people including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been completed in the Niko corruption case. The court has fixed the next hearing for January 21. Today, Tuesday, the Dhaka Special Judge's Court fixed this date after recording the testimony of 6 witnesses.

In the previous hearing, on January 6, the testimony of 4 witnesses was recorded under Judge Abdullah Al Mamun at Dhaka Special Judge's Court-5. They are Standard Chartered Bank Central Manager Hafizur Rahman, businessman Pradeep Kumar Das, SM Shamsher Zakaria and Md. Shamsul Huda Chowdhury. So far, 32 out of 68 witnesses have been recorded in this case.

At the beginning of the case on March 19, 2024, the same court framed charges against the accused. The case alleges corruption between 2001 and 2006 against Khaleda Zia and other high-ranking officials, who were accused of causing state financial losses by making illegal contracts with the Canadian company Niko. According to the initial allegations, the state suffered a loss of Tk 13,777 crore through this corruption.

In addition, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also accused in the case, but the court acquitted her of the case in 2009. There are 7 other accused in the current case, including Khaleda Zia.

Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, former State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain and former Secretary of Bapex Md. Shafiur Rahman have been acquitted of the charges in the case due to their deaths.