A special court in Dhaka Monday exempted detained former premier and Awami League (AL) president Sheikh Hasina from appearing in person during trial proceedings in the barge-mounted power plant case, reports UNB.
Upon a petition filed by Sheikh Hasina Sunday, Judge M Firoz Alam passed the order at 10:02 am on the grounds of her illness.
According to the court order, Hasina's lawyer would represent her during the trial in the barge-mounted power plant case.
The day's court order cleared the way for Sheikh Hasina to go abroad for treatment, court sources said.
Another special court of Judge AK Roy also passed an identical order exempting Sheikh Hasina from appearing in person during the court proceedings in the Niko scam case.
After hearing both the sides, the court passed the order at 10:40 am on a similar exemption petition filed by Sheikh Hasina.
The prosecution side during hearing did not oppose the petition. bdnews24.com adds: Dhanmondi police have returned the passports of detained former Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina, that were seized when she was arrested last year.
Officer-in-Charge of Dhanmondi Police Station Syed Mohsinul Huq handed over three attached passports to Hasina's lawyer Kamrul Islam and her nephew Fazle Noor Taposh.
Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Abdullah Al Mamun ordered the police to return Hasina's passports earlier Monday, as the former PM's lawyers sought to clear a legal path for her treatment abroad.
Special Public Prosecutor (PP) Sarder Shahidul Islam told the court that the state did not object to returning Hasina's passports.
Taposh and Kamrul went to Dhanmondi police station at around 3.30 pm to receive the passports, which the police handed over in front of journalists.
"We have got the three passports back," Kamrul told the news agency. He said, of the three, two were diplomatic passports and one was current.
The Awami League president, and immediate-past opposition leader, used the two diplomatic passports D0007883 and D009151 until the expiry of the eighth parliament on October 28, 2006.
Thereafter, she began using passport No W0526627, attached with the two diplomatic passports, the lawyer said.
Police confiscated the passports when Hasina was arrested from her Dhanmondi home on July 16, last year.
The government is expected to allow the detained former prime minister to leave Dhaka in a day or two for medical treatment abroad.
