DHAKA, 31 July 2007 — Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed was granted interim bail by the High Court yesterday, nearly two weeks after she was detained on extortion charges, her lawyers said.
The court gave the authorities two weeks to provide justification for the use of emergency laws to prosecute the Awami League leader, but she was unlikely to be freed immediately because of a second extortion charge filed against her on Sunday.
“The court ordered authorities to release Hasina on bail, suspended the prosecution and asked the government to explain within two weeks, the legality in putting the charges under emergency rules,” lawyer Rafiqul Haque told reporters.
Her lawyers said they would challenge the second case in the High Court as soon as possible. “We will take it up in a day or two after, and hope our client will get justice,” said another lawyer, Shafique Ahmed.
Awami League acting President Zillur Rahman said: “It’s a victory of truth, which prevails over the false and injustice. We hope the government will release the leader soon.” Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency imposed by the army-backed interim administration, which took over in January and launched a crackdown on corruption ahead of elections planned for late next year.
Hasina was arrested on July 16 and sent to a house converted into a prison inside Dhaka’s sprawling Parliament compound. Charges of extorting money from a businessman were formally filed against her a week later.
Hasina’s lawyers filed a petition signed by her with the High Court on Sunday, arguing emergency rules imposed this year — which require the prosecution to be completed within 45 days — should not be used to try a case relating to offenses allegedly committed in 1998.
The former prime minister is accused of extorting 80 million taka ($1.16 million) from two businessmen during her last spell in office from 1996 to 2001.
Hasina denies the charges, which she says are being used to try and force her out of politics ahead of the elections.
More than 170 political figures, including former ministers in both the governments of Hasina and her archrival Khaleda Zia, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have been detained for graft and abuse of power.
Case Filed Against Ex-Minister
A case was filed against former state minister and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Alamgir Kabir and 12 leaders of the banned outfit Jamaatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB) yesterday.
Petitioner Anjuara Begum filed the case in a criminal court against the former state minister and 12 JMB leaders charging them with extortion and ransacking at a village.
The accused JMB men are Abul Hossain Master, Abdus Sattar, Jamiruddin, Masud Rana, Jahangir Alam, M. Sattar, Gopal, Mukul, Shukur Ali, Khokon, Saiful Islam and Kanu alias Kalla.
Judge Sheikh Noor Mohammad ordered the police to conduct further probe into the case.
In her statement, Anjuara alleged that the accused, “patronized by the former state minister,” unleashed “a reign of terror” in the area on May 27 and June 14, 2004.
The militants had set up a camp in Atrai sub-district and used to abduct innocent people and extort money from them, she alleged.
