The Supreme Court on Sunday fixed October 31 for the hearing of a leave to appeal petition filed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia seeking a stay in the trial proceeding of NIKO corruption case against her.

Justice Hasan Foyez Siddique, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division, fixed the date after Khaleda’s lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali prayed for fixing a date for the hearing of the petition.

Khaleda Zia filed the leave to appeal petition with the SC on December 7, 2015 challenging a High Court verdict.

Another petition by the BNP chief challenging the legality of the trial proceeding of the case was also rejected by the HC.

Khaleda prayed to the top court to stay the trial proceeding of the case in her leave to appeal petition.

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on December 9, 2007, during the military-backed caretaker regime.

Charges were pressed against 11 people, including the former PM, on May 5, 2008, for allegedly causing a loss of Tk 137 billion to the state exchequer by awarding the gas exploration contract to Canadian company Niko Resources.

The High Court on July 9 that year stayed proceedings of the graft case and issued a ruling after Khaleda filed the petition. The Appellate Division later upheld the stay order.

The case then remained stuck for the last seven years until the ACC revived it last year.

On June 18, 2015, the High Court rejected Khaleda’s petition questioning the legality of the case and lifted the freeze on the case proceedings.

It had also ordered the former prime minister to surrender before the court within two months after receiving the court order.