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Bangladesh opposition chief forced to wait for trial decision

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Bangladesh opposition leader Khaleda Zia was given a short reprieve on Sunday, with a court postponing a decision on whether to halt her embezzlement trial that could see her jailed for life if convicted.

The former two-time premier lodged a last-minute legal bid to try to stop the trial which had been scheduled to start on Monday, after she was indicted on charges of embezzling more than $650,000.

The High Court in Dhaka had been expected to rule Sunday on whether the trial should proceed in a separate court. But instead it said it would announce its decision on Wednesday.

"We expected an order today. But the court heard arguments of both sides and has now set Wednesday for an order," deputy attorney general Mohammad Salim told AFP.

Zia's lawyers have called the charges politically motivated, aimed at keeping her out of politics and destroying her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which has vowed to topple the government of arch rival Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Zia was indicted just weeks after Hasina was re-elected in a January 5 general election which the centre-right BNP and its 18 allies boycotted and denounced as a farce.

A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporter  pictured during a rally attended by BNP chairperson ...
A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporter, pictured during a rally attended by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, in Dhaka, on January 20, 2014
Munir Uz Zaman, AFP/File

Police detained thousands of opposition officials and supporters and charged many more during and after the election, which was the bloodiest in the country's short history.

Zia's lawyers argued in the High Court that she has been charged unlawfully and sought a court order to stop the trial, which was set to start in a special anti-corruption court in Dhaka.

The anti-corruption court was now likely to delay the trial until the High Court gave its ruling, according to lawyers. But defence lawyer Moudud Ahmed said he would still need to formally seek a stay on Monday of the trial.

Prosecutors say Zia and three of her co-accused siphoned off 31.5 million taka (about $400,000) from a charitable trust named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a former president who was assassinated in 1981.

She is also accused of leading a group of five people, including her eldest son Tarique Rahman, who now is in London, in embezzling 21.5 million taka ($277,000) -- funds which were meant to go to an orphanage set up in memory of her late husband.

The charges date back to Zia's last term as prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and can carry a life sentence, prosecutors have said.

- Opposition threatens protests -

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters listen to an address by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia  d...
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters listen to an address by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, during a rally in Dhaka, on January 20, 2014
Munir Uz Zaman, AFP/File

The BNP has threatened to hold nationwide protests if the trial against their leader goes ahead.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam has rejected the defence's claims of political motivation.

Zia, who first became premier in 1991, has a famously poisonous relationship with Hasina -- an enmity which dates back three decades.

Zia was kept under de facto house arrest for more than a week ahead of the elections in January.

Hasina was overwhelmingly re-elected in what was effectively a one-horse race after the BNP and other opposition parties refused to field candidates over rigging fears.

Nearly 200 people died in political violence in the run-up to the polls as the opposition and security forces fought pitched battles.

Zia spent nearly two years behind bars in 2007-08 when both she and Hasina were detained by a military-backed government as part of a crackdown on corruption. Both women were eventually freed without charge.

Bangladesh opposition leader Khaleda Zia was given a short reprieve on Sunday, with a court postponing a decision on whether to halt her embezzlement trial that could see her jailed for life if convicted.

The former two-time premier lodged a last-minute legal bid to try to stop the trial which had been scheduled to start on Monday, after she was indicted on charges of embezzling more than $650,000.

The High Court in Dhaka had been expected to rule Sunday on whether the trial should proceed in a separate court. But instead it said it would announce its decision on Wednesday.

“We expected an order today. But the court heard arguments of both sides and has now set Wednesday for an order,” deputy attorney general Mohammad Salim told AFP.

Zia’s lawyers have called the charges politically motivated, aimed at keeping her out of politics and destroying her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which has vowed to topple the government of arch rival Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Zia was indicted just weeks after Hasina was re-elected in a January 5 general election which the centre-right BNP and its 18 allies boycotted and denounced as a farce.

A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporter  pictured during a rally attended by BNP chairperson ...

A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporter, pictured during a rally attended by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, in Dhaka, on January 20, 2014
Munir Uz Zaman, AFP/File

Police detained thousands of opposition officials and supporters and charged many more during and after the election, which was the bloodiest in the country’s short history.

Zia’s lawyers argued in the High Court that she has been charged unlawfully and sought a court order to stop the trial, which was set to start in a special anti-corruption court in Dhaka.

The anti-corruption court was now likely to delay the trial until the High Court gave its ruling, according to lawyers. But defence lawyer Moudud Ahmed said he would still need to formally seek a stay on Monday of the trial.

Prosecutors say Zia and three of her co-accused siphoned off 31.5 million taka (about $400,000) from a charitable trust named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a former president who was assassinated in 1981.

She is also accused of leading a group of five people, including her eldest son Tarique Rahman, who now is in London, in embezzling 21.5 million taka ($277,000) — funds which were meant to go to an orphanage set up in memory of her late husband.

The charges date back to Zia’s last term as prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and can carry a life sentence, prosecutors have said.

– Opposition threatens protests –

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters listen to an address by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia  d...

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters listen to an address by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, during a rally in Dhaka, on January 20, 2014
Munir Uz Zaman, AFP/File

The BNP has threatened to hold nationwide protests if the trial against their leader goes ahead.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam has rejected the defence’s claims of political motivation.

Zia, who first became premier in 1991, has a famously poisonous relationship with Hasina — an enmity which dates back three decades.

Zia was kept under de facto house arrest for more than a week ahead of the elections in January.

Hasina was overwhelmingly re-elected in what was effectively a one-horse race after the BNP and other opposition parties refused to field candidates over rigging fears.

Nearly 200 people died in political violence in the run-up to the polls as the opposition and security forces fought pitched battles.

Zia spent nearly two years behind bars in 2007-08 when both she and Hasina were detained by a military-backed government as part of a crackdown on corruption. Both women were eventually freed without charge.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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