Judge Malik Abdullah Al Amin of the Dhaka Divisional Special Court will make his decision after hearing on charge-framing in the two cases.

Earlier the same court on August 17 acquitted Ershad, also the chairman of Jatiya Party (JP), in a graft case filed against him 14 years ago.

The delivery of judgment in another case against Ershad is scheduled for August 27 in the First Additional Metropolitan Session Judge's Court, Dhaka. It was filed for anomalies in the allotment of plots to 49 people when Ershad was president.

Hearing of a gold smuggling case against him will be held at this court on the same day.

The ruling BNP's move to bring Ershad in the four-party alliance triggered controversy in the political arena. Even the ex-president's party has locked horn with BNP's partner Jamaat-e-Islami over its inclusion in the BNP-led alliance.

A high level delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday in an exclusive meeting with Khaleda Zia strongly opposed the JP's inclusion in the alliance.

The JP chief however on Tuesday said his joining the four-party alliance is not final yet. "Negotiations are on and I'm doing that alone," he said.

Ershad, now facing pressure from the BNP to formally announce his joining the alliance by this month, is scheduled to leave for Saudi Arabia on August 28 on a week-long visit.

TWO CASES FOR CHARGE-FRAMING OR NOT
The court on August 17 fixed today for delivery its decision whether charges would be framed against Ershad and five others in two graft cases.

In the first case, Ershad and former energy and mineral resources minister Anwar Hossain Manju are accused of causing a loss of $79,000 to public exchequer.

The case, filed with the Tejgaon Police Station, alleged that the then president Ershad and his minister Manju awarded a contract to Scimitar Oils for drilling and exploring 1,650 square kilometres of area in Haripur oil field in 1987, which caused the loss to the state.

The investigation officer (IO) of the case pressed charges against them on May 2, 2003.

In the other case, Ershad, former education minister Sheikh Shahidul Islam and three others are accused of purchasing two ships from Pakistan during 1988-1991 causing a huge wastage of public money.

It is alleged that Ershad, Sheikh Shahid, two high officials of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) and a businessman in collusion with others bought the ships by forging documents. This caused a loss of Tk 2,95,698,000 to the public exchequer.

The IO pressed charges against Ershad and four others on August 27, 2003.