After a hiatus of more than five years, hearing on MiG-29 corruption case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and six other people will be held on February 29.
Judge Golam Mortuza Majumder of special court for Dhaka Division fixed the hearing date after getting the High Court's vacation order on stay order that the defence secured five years back.
The court directed the jail authorities to produce Hasina, now detained in a sub-jail at Sangsad Bhaban complex, on the scheduled date. The judge also served summons on the six other accused, now on bail, to show up on the same date.
The prosecution yesterday submitted a petition to start proceeding of the case.
The six other accused are former air force chief Jamaluddin Ahmed, former army chief Mustafizur Rahman, former defence secretary Syed Yusuf Hossain, Air Commodore (retd) Mirza Akhter Maruf, former joint secretary Mohammad Hossain Serniabat and Nur Ali, managing director of Unique Group.
Earlier on September 6 last year, the High Court (HC) vacated the stay order that another HC bench passed following seven separate writ petitions seeking quashment of the case. The HC order removed the legal bar to starting the proceedings of the case.
The case, filed against Hasina and four top defence officials with Tejgaon Police Station, charged that the purchase of eight MiG-29 fighter jets during the Awami League government caused a loss of Tk 700 crore to the public exchequer.
The names of Brigadier General (retd) Iftekhar-Ul-Bashar and former deputy secretary Hasan Mahmood Delwar were dropped from the case for poor evidence while the former army chief, Air Commodore (retd) Mirza Akhter Maruf, former joint secretary Hossain Serniabat and businessman Nur Ali were implicated in the case after investigation found their involvement in the scam.
On December 11 in 2001, Inspector Abdullah Al Zahid at now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption submitted charge sheet to Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka, showing 40 persons as prosecution witnesses.
Following the charge sheet, all the accused, including Hasina, filed quashment petitions with the HC on different dates, securing stay on the case proceedings.
Hasina was arrested on July 16 last year following an extortion case filed by Azam J Chowdhury. The High Court threw out the case earlier this month.