A Dhaka court today fixed May 13 for holding hearing on framing charges against BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia in the Niko graft case.

Mahmudul Kabir, judge of Dhaka Special Judge Court-9, a makeshift court at Bakshibazar in Dhaka, set the date following a petition seeking to defer the hearing which was scheduled to be held today.

Khaleda'a lawyer Sanaullah Miah filed the time petition on behalf of Khaleda Zia who is now in the former Dhaka Central Jail being convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. Lawyers of other accused in the case also filed time petitions.

On December 9, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the graft case with Tejgaon police station accusing Khaleda and 10 others of abusing power to award a gas exploration and extraction deal to Canadian company Niko during her tenure as prime minister.

The other accused in the case are: former law minister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former acting energy secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam, Niko Resources Bangladesh Ltd vice-president (South Asia) Kashem Sharif, energy ministry former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf Hossain, former president of Dhaka Club Salim Bhuiyan, businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun, energy ministry former senior assistant secretary CM Yusuf Hossain, Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) former general manager Mir Maynul Haque and BAPEX former secretary Md Shafiur Rahman.

The ACC submitted the charge sheet against the accused in May 2008.