Bangladesh opposition leader granted bail

Zia was imprisoned in February over charges of embezzling funds intended for orphanage

Bangladesh’s 72-year-old opposition leader Khaleda Zia was granted bail on corruption charges yesterday after her lawyers argued her health was at risk, paving the way for her to be released from jail.

Zia was imprisoned in February after being accused of embezzling money intended for an orphanage, an allegation she said was politically motivated.

Bangladesh has for years been locked in an epic showdown between Zia, who has served as prime minister three times, and her arch-rival, current leader Sheikh Hasina.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision to grant Zia bail while she appeals against the five-year jail term, her lawyer Joynal Abedin said.

She faces several other charges and it was not immediately clear when she would be released from the special jail in the capital Dhaka where she is the sole inmate.

Zia’s lawyers said they told the court that she faced serious health risks if kept in prison and that she would be treated at a top private hospital once she is released.

“She has become very sick due to long solitary confinement,” Abedin said, adding that Zia suffers from a neurological problem, arthritis and night-time fever.

The Supreme Court had earlier suspended the lower court’s decision to grant Zia bail, prompting her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to condemn the move as part of a campaign by Hasina to silence the opposition ahead of looming national elections.

Zia faces more than 30 other inquiries related to violence and corruption.

Abedin said she was officially considered under arrest in at least six other cases and needs to get bail for each one, which may take days or weeks. However, the Supreme Court ruling is likely to have an influence on those proceedings.

“We hope she will be released shortly. These cases do not have merit at all. These are all politically motivated cases,” Abedin said.

Zia has consistently dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

She has become very sick due to long solitary confinement. We hope she will be released shortly. These cases do not have merit at all. These are all politically motivated cases.”

Joynal Abedin | Khaleda Zia’s lawyer