JAILED EX-Bangladesh PM Zia Sentenced to 7 Yrs in Another Corruption case

AHEAD of Parliamentary poll later this year, Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was sentenced on Monday to another seven years in jail by a Dhaka court   which has pronounced her guilty in a corruption case. Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by her had boycotted the previous elections. Ailing Begum Zia, 73, is already serving a jail term since February after being convicted in another case related embezzlement of funds of an orphanage named after her husband president Ziaur Rahman in February. She and three others have been jailed jail for the same case .The sentence pronounced on Monday is related to the accusation that she and three others abused their power and raised funds for the trust from unknown sources. Earlier in the day, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court cleared the way for a lower court to deliver its verdict in the case after rejecting Zia’s plea to halt the proceedings of the case. Her supporters allege the cases are politically motivated. Zia is arch political opponent of Prime Minister Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Soon after the verdict, her supporters clashed with Police. In the second case today, Judge Mohammad Akhtaruzzman found her guilty of abuse of power and misusing 31.5 million taka ($375,000) destined for a charitable fund.