Opposition leader gets new jail term

Bangladesh’s imprisoned opposition leader Khaleda Zia was handed a further seven years in prison on Monday on corruption charges her supporters say are politically motivated to prevent her from running in a general election.

Zia, archrival of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is already behind bars after being handed a five-year term in February on embezzlement charges.

That verdict triggered clashes between police and thousands of loyalists from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which Zia still leads from prison.

There was a small demonstration outside BNP headquarters on Monday in Dhaka, but the opposition vowed nationwide marches on Tuesday to protest against the verdict.

In Zia’s latest trial, Judge Mohammad Akhtaruzzman found the 73-year-old guilty of abuse of power and embezzling 31.5-million taka (R5.37m) destined for a charitable fund.

The verdict was handed down in a temporary court- room inside the Dhaka Central Jail where Zia – who has been in the infirmary for poor health – is the only inmate.

Her lawyers, who were also absent during the verdict, have consistently described the fasttrack trial as political vengeance by Hasina, who has been accused of stifling her opponents.

“The people will never accept this judgment,” BNP secretary-general Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters.

The latest conviction is expected to further impede Zia’s chances of challenging Hasina in polls slated for December.

Zia boycotted the 2014 general election which saw Hasina returned to power.

The BNP had been hoping a higher court would overturn Zia’s earlier sentence, setting her free and paving the way for the veteran opposition leader to run against Hasina.

But the latest verdict throws up more hurdles for the opposition, which says 4,000 of its supporters have been arrested since September in a pre-election crackdown. –