Bangladesh News

Detained Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday alleged that the present government is out to have her convicted in a ‘farcical trial’ to bar her from the next general election.

She made the remark to her counsel shortly after the Special Court-1 had adjourned till April 15 the hearing on charge framing in the barge-mounted power plant graft case against her.

“They want to see me punished in any way so that I cannot take part in the election. But I have faith in people,” she was quoted as saying by her Personal Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud.

Talking about the present food crisis, she said 2.47 crore metric tons of rice and 82 lakh metric tons of wheat were produced during her tenure as the prime minister. Her government had turned Bangladesh into a country of food surpluses, she added.

“But nowadays, it is potato everywhere,” said the AL chief in a mocking reference to the call for increasing potato consumption to take some pressure off rice.

She said she is standing trial for founding Bangabandhu Memorial Trust and helping deprived people, but those who had siphoned thousands of crores of taka out of the country have yet to be brought to book.

Qamrul Islam, one of the lawyers representing the former prime minister, said she has urged party workers as well as people to stay united and act cautiously since the country is in a crisis situation.

She, however, did not say anything about the government-AL dialogue.

“I was once told that I would get Tk 2,000 crore a year if I allow gas export. But I rejected the proposal right away since I cannot betray my people.

“I said I would export gas only if there is enough gas for public to use over the next 50 years,” Hasina told her lawyers.

Replying to the prosecution’s statement that an individual on trial cannot be paroled to be sent abroad for treatment, barrister Shafique Ahmed said, “It’s not correct. She is on bail in every case filed against her. Besides, the High Court has said one of those cases was not even valid.

“There is no obstacle to sending her abroad, and it depends only on the goodwill of the government which is holding back her passport without any reason.”

COURT PROCEEDINGS

The Special Court-1, set up at MP hostel on Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex, adjourned the hearing after the defence delivered submissions on the discharge petition for the third consecutive day yesterday.

The arguments in favour of the petition submitted on April 3 will resume on April 15.

The lawyers said it’s not true that Wartsila Power Development Ltd Consortium and its partners Summit Group and United Group were awarded the power plant set-up deal depriving New England Power Company consortium.

They said it is also false that the then government had showed Wartsila and its partners as the lowest bidder.

In fact, they added, the offer New England Power Company had made was non-responsive and conditional, and the country would have incurred a loss of Tk 316 crore had the government awarded them the contract.

The lawyers contended that the deal actually benefited the country, and the allegation of favour does not really add up.

Besides, they said, the power plants under the deal were set up within a short time and they added 316 megawatts of electricity to the national grid when the country was reeling under severe power shortage.

The prosecution accused the defence of wasting time by arguing on irrelevant issues while the defence said a hurried trial can never ensure justice.