Dhaka, Nov 25 (bdnews24.com)-- A Dhaka court heard on Wednesday the petition by former army chief Moeen U Ahmed for dismissal of the Tk 100 crore defamation suit filed by former state minister for power Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.

The judge S M Saiful Islam of Third Joint District Judge of Dhaka fixed January 10 for issuing order.

Quamrul Huq Siddiqui, lawyer for Moeen, told the court that the case is time-barred under the law and hence obsolete. Tuku's lawyer Mahbubuddin Khokan told the court that they filed the case properly.

On Mar 27, 2007, Gen Moeen at a rally of freedom fighters at the National Parade Square alleged corruption in the power ministry of which Tuku was minister.

Moeen had reportedly said "at least Tk 20,000 crore" was siphoned out of the country from the power sector alone during the BNP's government.

Tuku filed the suit on July 12, within days of Moeen leaving for the US.

Moeen, who retired on June 15 this year and left for the US with his wife soon after, returned on Oct 31.

Tuku is claiming Tk 100 crore in damages, for reportedly defamatory statements made against him by the army chief at a reception for freedom fighters in March 2007.

Moeen was appointed army chief in 2005, during the tenure of BNP-Jamaat government; the caretaker administration extended his tenure by a year.

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