Staff Correspondent  
The Anti-Corruption Commission has moved the High Court to revive the Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Co Ltd (Gatco) corruption case which was registered against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia seven years ago.  
Due to a stay order of the High Court, the graft case against the former premier is in limbo. To revive the case, the Anti Corruption Commission assigned Supreme Court lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan on Monday.
The counsel told told The Daily Observer that his plea on behalf of the anti- graft body came in the cause list of the HC bench of Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hasan on Wednesday for beginning hearing over a rule which questioned the legality of lodging the graft case under the Emergency Powers Rules of 2007. However, the court adjourned the proceedings till February 4 following a time-plea of Khaleda's lawyer Mahbub Uddin Khokon,  Khurshid added.
On September 2, 2007, the ACC registered the case against the former Prime Minister and 23 others for their alleged graft in awarding the contract for container management at inland container depots in Dhaka and Chittagong to Gatco which caused a loss of over Tk 1,000 crore to the state exchequer. Later, the case was brought under the Emergency Power Rules.  Khaleda was arrested in the case on the date of filing the case and she was released on bail in September 2008.
Following a writ petition, the HC on September 30 in 2007 stayed the case and sought explanation as to why bringing the case under the EPR should not be held illegal. Later, the stay order was annulled by the Appellate Division.
In response to another writ petition that challenged the ACC sanction in lodging the case, the HC on July 15, 2008 halted the proceedings of the case again. The ACC will also petition before the bench to start hearing over the matter on Thursday, Khurshid said.