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B’desh moves on two ex-leaders in corruption clean up

BANGLADESH: Bangladesh moved against the leaders of its two main political parties, both former prime ministers, as it intensified efforts to clean up the nation’s famously corrupt politics.

In a dawn raid, hundreds of police and special forces swooped on the Dhaka home of Sheikh Hasina Wajed and carried her off to jail on charges of extortion that she has repeatedly denied.

The arrest sparked an angry showdown with supporters of Sheikh Hasina, who ruled the impoverished country from 1996 to 2001, that saw police open fire with tear gas and rubber bullets as she left court after her hearing.

Hours later, the military-backed emergency government summoned the most recent elected prime minister — Sheikh Hasina’s bitter rival Khaleda Zia — to appear in court next month to answer tax evasion allegations.

Sheikh Hasina and Zia, dubbed the “battling begums”, ruled alternately from 1991 to 2006 and stand accused of misrule that brought the country to the brink of anarchy earlier this year.

The army-backed emergency government took power in January, after violent protests by supporters of the two women forced elections to be cancelled.

It attempted to exile both in April as part of its efforts to reshape Bangladesh politics, before later abandoning the plan.

The authorities have vowed to clean up the country’s politics before holding new elections in December 2008.

Sheikh Hasina dismissed the charges against her in court as “false, fabricated and conspiratorial,” her lawyer Kamrul Islam told AFP.

Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajid Wajed Joy, condemned the arrest.

“It is a conspiracy against her and against democracy,” he told the Bangla Vision television network by telephone from the United States.

“We need to fight like we did in 1971 against this government to free her and establish democracy in the country,” he said, referring to Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan.

A string of charges have been filed against her in recent months, including murder allegations related to the death of four people in a protest last October.

More than 150 high-profile politicians, businessmen and bureaucrats have been arrested in the corruption crackdown. A handful have been convicted by special fast-track courts and sentenced to between three and 13 years in jail.

India meanwhile said Dhaka must ensure the “due process as established by law” is not violated in its crackdown.

“We are closely monitoring the internal developments in Bangladesh including arrests of high level politicians,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.“In all such cases, it must be ensured that there is no violation of due process as established by law and that basic individual rights are fully respected,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

“As a close and friendly neighbour, India would like to see a peaceful, stable and liberal democratic Bangladesh,” Sarna added.

Meanwhile Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was summoned in a tax evasion case and told to appear in court by August 26.

“The Dhaka metropolitan magistrates’ court issued a summons on Monday against Khaleda Zia and 10 others for failing to pay taxes for a company that she owns,” said her lawyer Mohammad Sanaullah.

In April, Zia also appeared to be on the brink of being exiled to Saudi Arabia, but those moves also fell through.

Her influential elder son Tareque Rahman has been in custody since March on corruption charges.

Dhaka, Tuesday, AFP

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