Khaleda, Mosharraf, and Khosru acquitted; trial initiated for 12 others.

The court has acquitted BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, permanent committee member Dr. Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury from the GATCO corruption case. Charges have been framed against 12 other defendants, and the trial will proceed.

On Thursday (October 24), Judge Abu Taher of the Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 issued this ruling following a hearing.

Those charged include former Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority Commodore Zulfiqar Ali, the late former minister Colonel Akbar Hossain's wife Jahanara Anchar, their two sons Ismail Hossain Saimon and A.K.M. Musa Kajol, Ehsan Yusuf, former Shipping Secretary Zulfiqar Haider Chowdhury, former member of the Chittagong Port Authority A.K. Rashid Uddin Ahmed, and directors of Global Agrotread Private Limited (GATCO) Shahjahan M. Hasib, A.M. Sanwar Hossain, Syed Tanveer Ahmed, Syed Golam Ahmed, and A.M.M. Shahadat Hossain.

The hearing for the charges was held on Thursday. Khaleda Zia’s lawyer submitted a presence report, after which the court began to hear the charges. Defense attorneys Masud Ahmed Talukdar, Syed Zainul Abedin Mezbah, and Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan requested acquittal, while ACC public prosecutor Mir Ahmad Ali Salam argued for the charges to be framed.

After considering both sides, the court acquitted the three individuals and framed charges against the 12 defendants, who maintained their innocence and sought justice.

Khaleda Zia’s lawyer Abdul Hannan Bhuiyan confirmed this information to the media.

On September 2, 2007, the Deputy Director of the ACC, Golam Shahrial Chowdhury, filed the GATCO corruption case against Khaleda Zia and 12 others at Tejgaon police station.

Following an investigation, the ACC submitted a charge sheet against Khaleda Zia and 24 others on May 13, 2008.

The indictment alleged that the defendants colluded to award GATCO the handling work at Kamalapur ICD in Dhaka and Chittagong Port, resulting in a loss of 1.45 billion taka to the state.

During the trial, nine defendants have passed away, including former ministers M. Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, former minister and then Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami, Khaleda Zia's younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, M.K. Anwar, former minister M. Shamsul Islam, and Ahmed Abul Kashem, the chief financial and accounting officer of the port.