Judge SM Mujibur Rahman of the First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court will pronounce the verdict at 11:00am, court sources said.

The judge on February 6 last adjourned the delivery of verdict in the case as he could not complete preparing the judgement.

Earlier, the prosecution and the defence had completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of eight prosecution witnesses including the complainant and investigation officer (IO) of the case.

A team of customs officials held four people including two foreign nationals from Zia International Airport on July 17, 1990 when they were attempting to smuggle around 3.6 kg of gold worth around Tk 2.5 crore into Bangladesh.

A smuggling case was filed with the Cantonment Police Station the same day against the four -- Bernhard Rudiger of Germany, David Anthony Chalmar Chaker of England, then manager of the Zia International Airport Major (retd) Ashraf Uddin Sekender and Abu Taher, an airport security guard.

During the investigation, the IO found evidence of Ershad's involvement in the smuggling and his name was included in the charge sheet on August 31, 1991.

The trial against Ershad did not start due to a High Court stay order.

Another Dhaka court on January 17 this year freed Ershad from serving out the sentence given by the High Court on December 14 last year in connection with a case concerning purchase of Japanese boats.

He was also acquitted and discharged of four graft cases in August and September last year after his announcement to join the four-party alliance. But he finally joined the grand alliance comprising 14-party and its allies.