Khaleda Zia awarded five-year jail term for embezzling money [Update Post #16]

[giri26]

Bangladesh on Wednesday tightened security amid mounting tensions over an impending corruption trial verdict against ex-prime minister and main opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia tomorrow that may disqualify her from contesting the next general election slated for December.

Elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and armed police were called out to guard Dhaka streets while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami League said their activists would be ready to "assist police" if the BNP tried to foment any unrest over

the verdict.
According to media reports, police in the past several days arrested over 1,000 BNP activists, including some senior leaders, suspecting they could spearhead a violent campaign if Zia is convicted.

A Dhaka court is set to deliver the judgement in the trial in which Zia, 72, and five others, including her expatriate elder son Tarique Rahman, stand accused of embezzling 21 million takas ($252,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust.

The prosecution said the charity, named after Zia's slain husband - military dictator-turned-president Ziaur Rahman - existed only on paper.
Legal experts said Zia, who served as premier for three terms, could face life imprisonment if found guilty of the charges while a conviction would simultaneously disqualify her from contesting the next general election slated for December.

Zia, meanwhile, in a press conference ahead of the verdict, blamed the government for unleashing a "reign of terror" ahead of the verdict and claimed she was implicated in a "false case" but said she was ready to face any fate.
"I believe the court will acquit me of all charges...It's a false case and a tool to harass me and my family...but if the judgement is delivered to appease the ruling quarters that will create a history of stigma," she said.

Her party had boycotted the 2014 polls over its demands for an election-time non-party government, and became the opposition outside parliament. But it is expected to contest the upcoming polls.

Political analysts said the BNP might see a political split as several senior leaders could disassociate themselves from Zia as her son Rahman, the senior vice president of the party, is seen as wielding authority from London while ignoring party veterans.

Rahman is believed to have sought asylum in Britain to evade justice as he is also being tried on several charges, including a 2004 grenade attack on a rally of the then opposition Awami League that killed 23 people and in which Hasina narrowly escaped.

Zia, in a meeting of the party's highest policy making national executive committee last week, warned of severe consequences against any attempt of "betrayal" saying she would remain with the party whatever the court verdict.

The main opposition party, which claims the charges are part of a plot to keep its leader out of the general election, has threatened to take to the streets if she is convicted.

The ruling Awami League, however, has denied it saying if Zia is not guilty, then it will be proven in court.

It has also called on its supporters to be vigilant if the BNP launches protests.

Earlier, Zia had urged her party supporters to hold "peaceful programmes".

"Please don't do something foolish that can put the party in danger. Remain united," she said last week.

Meanwhile, jail officials said they have taken required measures keeping in mind the impending verdict while Home Minister Asadsuzzaman Khan Kamal said if convicted Zia would get facilities she deserved in prison.

"She is a former prime minister and if the court hands her down the sentence, she will be provided with all facilities she deserves," he said.

The BNP chief, however, called upon the Awami League to hold the next general election in a free, fair and peaceful manner through talks while shunning "the path of threat and repression" and asked party activists to wage a "peaceful" campaign for credible elections.

Awami League leader and road transport minister Obaidul Quader said the past military-backed interim government had filed the case against Zia in 2008 with the present government having no link to the process.
He alleged that Zia did her best to upset the trial but failed.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ex-bangladesh-pm-zia/articleshow/62823998.cms

 

[hadi123]

DHAKA: A court in Bangladesh has sentenced opposition leader Khaleda Zia to five years in jail after convicting the two-time former premier of embezzling money meant for an orphanage.

Prosecutors were seeking life imprisonment for the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party for allegedly embezzling 21 million taka ($252,000) through a charity trust fund.

Khaleda Zia will no longer be able to contest the general elections which are scheduled for December.

Thousands of police and paramilitary guards patrolled the Bangladesh capital on Thursday ahead of the key corruption verdict.

Police had banned street protests and rounded up what opposition figures said was thousands of their supporters in a crackdown ahead of Thursday’s court ruling in the capital, Dhaka.

Zia faced life in prison if convicted by the Dhaka court, but has consistently denied the charges, insisting “not a penny” was stolen.

A senior officer told AFP more than 5,000 police had been deployed in Dhaka and the streets of the usually congested capital were almost empty of cars on Thursday.

“We have stepped up security in the entire city,” Dhaka police chief Asaduzzaman Mia told reporters outside the court.

Hundreds of BNP supporters chanting slogans walked alongside Zia’s car as it approached the court, while pro-opposition lawyers staged raucous protests at the Supreme Court.

Authorities are on high alert for protests in the tense city, where political demonstrations by Zia’s centre-right BNP and its allies in 2014 and 2015 left nearly 200 people dead.

The BNP boycotted 2014 polls in which Hasina was re-elected but is expected to contest the upcoming general election.

Zia, 72, has repeatedly said the charges against her are politically motivated, aimed at excluding her and her family from politics.

“This is an attempt to use the court against me, in an effort to sideline me from politics and elections and to isolate me from the people,” Zia told a packed news conference on Wednesday.

BNP spokesperson Rizvi Ahmed has said around 3,500 opposition activists and officials have been arrested in a sweep by security forces ahead of the verdict.

Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged the government to stop what it called “arbitrary arrests and detentions”.

“The Bangladesh government’s claims to be open and democratic ring hollow as it cracks down on political dissent,” said the group’s Asia director Brad Adams.

“The government has a responsibility to prevent and minimise violence, but it needs to do so in a way that respects basic rights, not flouts them.”

Many private schools declared a holiday on Thursday in anticipation of the verdict, while several ride-hailing services announced a day-long suspension of their operations.

Police have set up check-posts at key entry points of the city in an effort to prevent thousands of rural supporters of BNP and its allies from marching to the capital.

“Dhaka is effectively cut off, people in panic,” read the front-page headline of the Bengali-language newspaper Prothom Alo.

Zia, who entered politics in the mid-1980s after her military dictator husband was assassinated in an abortive coup, also faces dozens of separate charges related to violence and corruption.

Her son Tarique Rahman, who is in exile in London, is a co-defendant in the case. He was convicted of money-laundering in 2016.

Last month prosecutors sought the death penalty for Rahman over his alleged role in a deadly 2004 grenade attack that injured Hasina.

Zia and her son were detained by an army-backed government in 2007 and spent a year and a half in detention pending trials for alleged corruption.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1629299/3-bangladesh-deploys-heavy-security-key-zia-verdict/

 

[Waseem]

Is she really corrupt or was it just a revenge case?

Any Bangladeshi friends?

Both Khalida and Haseena have been playing cat and mouse for such a long time now. Isn't there a third option that people could turn to?

 

[Zahid87]

Is she really corrupt or was it just a revenge case?

Any Bangladeshi friends?

Both Khalida and Haseena have been playing cat and mouse for such a long time now. Isn't there a third option that people could turn to?

Of course she is corrupt. But so is Haseena. In this case, every one in power is guilty.

Haseena has been trying to finish off Khalida since she came in to power, this is just her latest move.

When we talk about a third option in the sub-continent, its very difficult. The established party's have a monopoly on certain ideologies which brings them votes.

Until the electorate evolves, and castes their votes based on other factors (apart from religion, sect, ethnicity, etc.), then there is no room for a third party to emerge.

Actually, I suppose IK is someone who has been somewhat successful...but he has populist appeal based on other factors (as well as backing from 3rd parties).

 

[Waseem]

Of course she is corrupt. But so is Haseena. In this case, every one in power is guilty.

Haseena has been trying to finish off Khalida since she came in to power, this is just her latest move.

When we talk about a third option in the sub-continent, its very difficult. The established party's have a monopoly on certain ideologies which brings them votes.

Until the electorate evolves, and castes their votes based on other factors (apart from religion, sect, ethnicity, etc.), then there is no room for a third party to emerge.

Actually, I suppose IK is someone who has been somewhat successful...but he has populist appeal based on other factors (as well as backing from 3rd parties).

Such a shame they lack options.

Maybe Shakib ul Hasan will become a Imran Khan of Bangladesh one day

But yes it's EXTREMELY difficult to become a 3rd option in such places. People would only accept someone who is honest, educated, liberal, religious, powerful, simple, famous, hardworking, aggressive, polite AT THE SAME TIME.

 

[Madplayer]

Such a shame they lack options.

Maybe Shakib ul Hasan will become a Imran Khan of Bangladesh one day

But yes it's EXTREMELY difficult to become a 3rd option in such places. People would only accept someone who is honest, educated, liberal, religious, powerful, simple, famous, hardworking, aggressive, polite AT THE SAME TIME.

Read Duverger's law. It says that in a "first past the post" voting system, eventually there can only be 2 major parties no matter which country you talk about.

 

[Pakpak]

[mention=79064]mmhs[/mention]

 

[TM Riddle]

Read Duverger's law. It says that in a "first past the post" voting system, eventually there can only be 2 major parties no matter which country you talk about.

FPTP system is complete ** but can't blame the govt when half of the population are illiterate idiots who won't feel comfortable with any of the other alternatives available.

 

[Reddy]

Of course she is corrupt. But so is Haseena. In this case, every one in power is guilty.

Haseena has been trying to finish off Khalida since she came in to power, this is just her latest move.

When we talk about a third option in the sub-continent, its very difficult. The established party's have a monopoly on certain ideologies which brings them votes.

Until the electorate evolves, and castes their votes based on other factors (apart from religion, sect, ethnicity, etc.), then there is no room for a third party to emerge.

Actually, I suppose IK is someone who has been somewhat successful...but he has populist appeal based on other factors (as well as backing from 3rd parties).

Such a shame they lack options.

Maybe Shakib ul Hasan will become a Imran Khan of Bangladesh one day

But yes it's EXTREMELY difficult to become a 3rd option in such places. People would only accept someone who is honest, educated, liberal, religious, powerful, simple, famous, hardworking, aggressive, polite AT THE SAME TIME.

Read Duverger's law. It says that in a "first past the post" voting system, eventually there can only be 2 major parties no matter which country you talk about.

It is somewhat easier in Pakistan and Bangladesh when compared to India where Indian National Congress has dominated so much that it looks like a single party state, they have ruled for 60 years out of the total 70 years. When you have named nearly everything in the country on your surname, you tend to get tremendous brand recall and if all fails you can quote to times before Indian independence, Mahatma Gandhi etc..

 

[Dios]

I think Bangladeshis will have to endure the Mujib-Zia clan for at least one more generation and then finally they might find release from the clutches of these two dynasties.

Hasina's son has been away from Bangladesh since his college days and is akin to Bilawal in that respect. He speaks Bengali like a foreigner and rural Bangladeshis won't relate to him if he ever tries to succeed his mother and run for prime ministership of Bangladesh. Plus with his American wife and the comfortable lifestyle he has made for himself in the US using money laundered from Bangladesh, it is a possibility that he may never decide to go through the rigours of Bangladeshi politics.

Khaleda's son may be a more natural candidate to become a future PM given that he was actively involved in Bangladeshi politics and was the chief architect of the BNP's last election win before going into exile in London in 2008. However, he is suffering from ailments and is facing a barrage of legal hurdles.

Luckily both Sajeeb Wazed and Tarique Rahman (Hasina and Khaleda's sons respectively) only have one daughter each, both of whom have been brought up largely outside of Bangladesh and are unlikely to take an interest in Bangladeshi politics which hopefully ends the stranglehold of these two families on Bangladeshi politics. It is a blessing for Bangladesh that people are not still having 5-6 children and producing an endless supply of candidates to carry on these corrupt dynasties like in Pakistan.

 

[CricketCartoons]

She is the Iron Lady Of Bangladesh. Her father and entire family was killed by army rebels, and she survived only because she was abroad. She went into exile and later rose to power and brought all the killers to justice. Also she has been instrumental in the fight against extremism in Bangladesh. She may have her flaws, but has kept Bangladesh on the right path. More power to her.

 

[Syed1]

She can be like Nawaz Sharif and say "mughay kyun dala"

 

[moghul]

She is the Iron Lady Of Bangladesh. Her father and entire family was killed by army rebels, and she survived only because she was abroad. She went into exile and later rose to power and brought all the killers to justice. Also she has been instrumental in the fight against extremism in Bangladesh. She may have her flaws, but has kept Bangladesh on the right path. More power to her.

She is like Modi in India. A killer and murderer but in power every thing is Kosher.

 

[MMHS]

[mention=79064]mmhs[/mention]

I know.

The issue is last time Awami League got unconditional support from Congress Govt.(& Democrat Govt. as well, which kept EU & UK in balance), which allowed S Hasina to form a Govt. without any participatory election (153 out of 300 seats were uncontested - therefore single majority Govt. was confirmed even before election.... ). But, this time S Hasina is facing extreme internal & external pressure for a participatory & acceptable election - which even Awami Leagues' biggest external supporters Anadabazar & The Hindu is projecting a crash ... these are just few desperate efforts. What BAL is trying that if the verdict stands after appeal, they'll immediately resolve the perlament and go for a quick election. These were cases against Begum Zia by the Army regime almost 10 years back, which also registered 15 (or 12 can't recall) corruption cases against S Hasina, which she closed manipulating judicial system, once coming to power.

It's going to back fire, unless there is another farce in the name of election - either way Begum Zia can get mileage out of it. The case against her is very weak, on appeal she can get a stay order (which will allow her to participate in election), or even if it stands, she has got enough time to prepare for the alternate - what their only focus is to force BAL in to a fair election.

 

[RickyG]

There are some serious parallels between Bangladeshi politics and Pakistani politics.

Sheikh Hasina is the Bangladeshi version of Benazir Bhutto. Daughter of a nationalist that lost favor with the army and was thus executed while his daughter was in exile. His daughter came back as the leader of her father's political party and won the elections. Probably very corrupt but secular and nationalist.

Ziaur Rehman is essentially General Zia-ul-Haq. An army man who became a politician. The difference between our Zia and their Zia is that their Zia won the election, ours staged a coup. After coming to power, the General decided to ally himself with the religious fundamentalist and focused on the "Muslim" identity. He was eventually assassinated.

Khaleda Zia, the corrupt widow of Zia, is none other than their version of Nawaz Sharif. Mr. Sharif is as corrupt as they come and lives his life with willful ignorance and zero self-awareness much like Khaleda. Like with Khaleda, the religious fundamentalists, tend to vote for Sharif and he turns a blind eye to their activities in return.

 

[giri26]

Infamous Dhaka jail used for trial of Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda Zia

DHAKA: The Bangladesh government on Wednesday turned a notorious jail into a courtroom to try ailing opposition leader Khaleda Zia on corruption charges.

The 73-year-old former prime minister, already serving a five-year term in Dhaka Central Jail, was brought into the temporary courtroom in a wheelchair insisting she would not get a fair hearing, reports said.

"I know I won't get justice. You can rule whatever you like. I am extremely ill. My hand and a leg are becoming paralysed," she told the court, according to the ntvbd.com news portal.

"You can punish me however you want," the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party added.

Zia's lawyers have condemned the decision to use the jail, where she is the only inmate, into a court. They have said they will seek a ruling from a higher court to get the move overturned.

Zia was granted bail in a corruption case in May but remains in jail while she fights dozens of other violence and graft charges.

The prison in the old Mughal district of Dhaka was built under British colonial rule in the 19th century and was Bangladesh's largest prison until it was declared abandoned in 2016.

Four of Bangladesh's founding leaders were killed in the prison on the eve of a military coup in November 1975 while hundreds of death row inmates including politicians, coup plotters and Islamists were hanged there in the intervening decades.

Law and Justice Minister Anisul Huq told AFP the decision to use the Central Prison as the venue for Zia's trial "has been done lawfully".

Huq said there were other cases when prisoners had been tried in the same jail and the government had the constitutional right to set up a court anywhere by decree.

The next hearing will be held on September 12 and 13.

Zia was jailed for five years in February after being convicted of corruption, a sentence that triggered clashes between police and thousands of BNP supporters.

She was found guilty then of embezzling money intended for an orphanage, a charge she dismissed as politically motivated.

Zia is appealing against the verdict which bars her from standing in a general election to be held in December.

In April, the BNP accused the government of putting the health of their jailed leader at risk by refusing her treatment in prison. She suffers from complications from arthritis and is struggling to walk, doctors said.

Zia, who entered politics in the mid-1980s after her military dictator husband was assassinated in an abortive coup, is an ally-turned arch-foe of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The BNP boycotted the 2014 election in which Hasina returned to power but is expected to contest the upcoming election.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/210047-infamous-dhaka-jail-used-for-trial-of-bangladesh-ex-pm-khaleda-zia