Court postpones further testimony in Hasina case to July 1

A special court on Wednesday deferred remaining witness testimony in the barge mounted power plant case, against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to July 1. Six witnesses have testified in the case so far, but judge Feroz Alam postponed further recording of depositions following a request by defence counsels. Hasina's lawyer Abdul Mannan Khan told the special court that the High Court would be on vacation from Thursday. The trial proceedings could not proceed as the case documents remained in the High Court. The prosecution agreed with the defence. Advocate Sahara Khatun appeared in court on behalf of Hasina, who is in the US seeking medical treatment. Former minister Rafiqul Islam and former power secretary Toufique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, also accused in the case, were present in the Special Judge's Court-1, set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex. The Anticorruption Commission filed the case on Sept 2 last year against eight people accusing them of taking bribes amounting to Tk 3 crore, in exchange for contracts to set up three barge mounted power plants, during Hasina's tenure as prime minister. Charges were framed against the accused on May 18 and depositions began on May 21. On June 12, the special court suspended proceedings to June 18, as the High Court had requested to see the case documents following a petition by Hasina to have the case cancelled. She also sought bail and asked the High Court to halt the case proceedings in the same petition.