The High Court has directed the lower court to complete the trial proceedings of the Gatco graft case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and others within six months.
It also ordered Gatco directors, Syed Galib Ahmed and Syed Tanveer Ahmed, to surrender before the trial court within two weeks.
A bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice KM Hafizul Alam passed the order on Sunday disposing of a rule issued earlier, reports UNB.
Advocate M Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) while Barrister Ajmalul Hossain argued for Galib Ahmed and Barrister Ahsanuk Karim stood for Tanveer Ahmed.
On September 2, 2007, the ACC filed the Gatco graft case against the two Gatco company directors, Khaleda and others for causing a loss of Tk 1,000 crore to the national exchequer by allegedly awarding the contract of container handling at the Chittagong port and the Dhaka's Inland Container Depot to Gatco.
Following a writ petition filed challenging the legality of the case, the HC on July 29, 2008 stayed the trial proceedings of the case and granted bail to the accused.
At the same time, it issued a rule in this regard.