Former Bangladeshi PM sentenced prison in corruption case

Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is sentenced to seven years of imprisonment by a special court in Bangladesh's capital on Monday. The former politician is accused of misuse of power involving a charity fund named after her late husband.

Along with the ex-PM, there are three others as well who are sentenced to seven years in jail for the same crime of collecting money from undeclared sources.

Khaleda Zia is found guilty of misuse of power while she was the prime minister who had collected $375,000 for the Zia Charitable Trust Fund from unknown sources. Judge Md Akhtaruzaman passed the order in a court on Monday, although Zia was absent in court for being unwell and hospitalized. Notably, the former PM is already serving a prison term of five years in a separate case.

The other prison term that Zia is already serving is a separate charity corruption case wherein she was pronounced guilty in February this year. However, her political friends, speaking in favour of Zia, says that the charges for both cases are politically motivated.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court had rejected a leave-to-appeal petition filed by Zia, which challenged the High Court judgment that allowed a lower court to continue the trial in the graft case in her absence.

On September 20, the court had decided to carry on with the trial inside the old Dhaka central jail in Zia’s absence. Zia had filed a revision petition in the High Court (HC) September 27 seeking to halt the proceedings. The plea was rejected, clearing the way for the trial court to continue the hearing. Zia had skipped appearances in the case citing ill health