Dhaka: A court here on Thursday issued a warrant for producing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been in jail since February 8 last year, before it in the Gatco corruption case.

Judge Abu Syed Diljar Hossain of the Dhaka Special Judge Court-3 issued the production warrant following a petition filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) counsel Mosharraf Hossain Kajal, reports the UNB.

The court was scheduled to hear today the charge-framing in the case.

However, Khaleda’s lawyer Masud Ahmed Taluker prayed for deferring the hearing while Kajal opposed it and sought for issuing a warrant for producing the BNP chief before the court.

Later, the court issued the production warrant and fixed January 16 for the next hearing.

On November 25 last, the High Court directed the lower court to conclude the trial proceedings of the Gatco graft case filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and others within six months.

On September 2, 2007, the ACC filed the graft case against the two Gatco company directors, Khaleda and others for causing a loss of Tk 1,000 crore to the national exchequer by allegedly awarding the contract of container handling at the Chittagong port and the Dhaka's Inland Container Depot to Gatco.