<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">A court here today set May 29 for holding hearing on charge framing in the Barapukuria Coalmine graft case against BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and 10 others.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The date was announced by Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of Dhaka Special Judge Court-2, as the defence lawyers pleaded for time on Begum Zia's poor health ground.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on February 26, 2008, filed the graft case against Khaleda Zia and 16 others with Shahbagh Police Station.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ACC deputy director Md Abul Kashem Fokir on October 5, 2008, filed a charge-sheet in the case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were accused of causing a loss of around Taka 159 crore to the state</div><div style="text-align: justify;">exchequer by awarding a contract for operation of Barapukuria Coalmine to aChinese company through abuse of power. BSS</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>