Bangla’s ex-PM Zia jailed in graft case

A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister and leader of opposition Khaleda Zia to seven years in jail in a corruption case. The court found Khaleda, the chief of the Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and three others guilty of using their political clout to raise funds of around 31.5 million taka ($375,000) from unknown sources for the Zia Charitable Trust.

The verdict was announced at the temporary court premises set up at the old central prison in the capital, bdnews24.com reported. The case was filed against Khaleda by the Anti-Corruption Commission eight years ago. Defence lawyers boycotted the trial. Following the verdict, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced nationwide protests on Tuesday.

The final trial proceedings in the case went ahead in the absence of Khaleda, who is serving time in jail in another corruption case, after the prison authorities repeatedly failed to bring her to court.

Khaleda’s former political affairs secretary Harris Chowdhury, his former aide Ziaul Islam Munna and former Dhaka Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s personal secretary Monirul Islam Khan were the three others convicted in the case.

Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol said Khaleda and the other convicts were also fined 1 million taka ($11,904) each, in default of which they will have to remain six months more in jail.