Court asks Khaleda to appear on May 17

A Dhaka court yesterday asked state-owned Sonali Bank Ltd to publish an advertisement in two national dailies asking BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and three of her family members to appear before it on May 17 in the Dandy Dyeing loan default case.

The three family members are Arafat Rahman Koko's wife Sharmila Rahman Sithi and their daughters Zafia Rahman and Zahia Rahman.

The order came as the defendants did not respond to the court's previous summons. On May 17, the court will also decide whether it will begin hearing the case in their absence.

On March 16, the same court granted a Sonali Bank's petition to include the four as defendants in the case on behalf of Koko, who died on January 24.

Dandy Dyeing Ltd borrowed Tk 12.16 crore from Sonali Bank Ltd's principal office in Dhaka on October 16, 2001. On October 2, 2012, the bank filed a money suit against 10 directors of the company, including BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman and Koko, for defaulting on a loan amounting to Tk 45.59 crore including interest.

The other accused include Giasuddin Al-Mamun and his wife Shahina Yasmine, Nasrin Iskander, wife of late Sayeed Iskander, Shams Iskander, Shafin Iskander, Sumaiya Iskander, Mozaffar Ahmed and Kazi Galib Abdus Sattar.