The charge framing hearing on Niko graft case against BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and eight others has been deferred again.
Following a petition filed by the BNP chief's lawyer Masud Ahmed on Thursday, Dhaka Special Judge Court-9 Judge Sheikh Hafizur Rahman fixed November 8 for the next hearing.
In the petition, lawyer Masud Ahmed mentioned that senior lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali was not present today due to his illness.
Mosharraf Hossain Kajol, a counsel for the Anti-Corruption Commission, opposed the motion.
The ACC filed the case against five including Khaleda Zia with Tejgaon police station on December 9, 2007, for abusing power in signing a deal with Canadian company Niko for exploring and extracting gas.
The ACC on May 5, 2008, submitted the charge-sheet against 11 people including Khaleda Zia. The ACC accused them of incurring a loss of more than Taka 13 thousand crore of state exchequer by that deal.
