Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was indicted by a court in Dhaka on Wednesday for alleged corruption in purchase of MiG-29 fighter jets during her regime, the third graft case in which the Awami League leader have been charged.
The special anti-graft court also indicted five others in the case involving the purchase of eight MIG-29 warplanes for Bangladesh Air Force while the Awami League party was in power from 1996 to 2001.
It fixed September three for the start of the hearing of the case.
The court had exempted Hasina, who was currently in the US for medical treatment, from personal appearance.
Bangladesh's interim military-backed government released Hasina for medical treatment in June, 11 months after her arrest on several corruption charges. The home ministry recently extended Hasina's temporary release for one more month until September 6 on a plea by her husband Wajed Mia.
The powerful anti-graft body, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), alleged that the state incurred losses worth about Taka 700 crore due to corrupt practices in the purchase of eight MiG-29 jets while the AL government was in power.
Hasina and her archrival Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) were facing several graft charges as part of a massive anti-corruption campaign being spearheaded by the current administration, installed with crucial military support following the January 11, 2007 proclamation of state of emergency in the country.
{{/usCountry}}Hasina and her archrival Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) were facing several graft charges as part of a massive anti-corruption campaign being spearheaded by the current administration, installed with crucial military support following the January 11, 2007 proclamation of state of emergency in the country.
{{/usCountry}}