DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Supreme Court yesterday deferred for two weeks a hearing on an appeal against rejection of bail for former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed in an extortion case.
A full bench of the appellate division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice M. Ruhul Amin granted the delay requested by Hasina, who is currently receiving medical treatment abroad.
Released by an executive order on June 11, 2008, after nearly a year in detention, Hasina was implicated in five cases including the extortion charges after the military-backed interim administration was installed in early January 2007.
A High Court panel earlier rejected her bail request in the case filed by businessman Noor Ali, who alleged that Hasina and two of her relatives extorted more than $700,000 from him for a power-plant concession in 1997.
Hasina, who heads the opposition Awami League party, was prime minister between 1996 and 2001.
A separate court in Dhaka also asked another former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to appear by Oct. 16 for questioning in a case of alleged graft.
Khaleda, the chairwoman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has appealed that charges against her involving the Barapukuria coal mine be quashed. Awami League acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday asked the caretaker government to ensure special security for Hasina ahead of polls.
Talking to reporters he expressed fears that Hasina, on her return from the US, might be targeted by militants and terrorists at the time of elections.
