The Public Prosecutor's Office in Bangladesh today requested life imprisonment for opposition leader Khaleda Zia on charges of financial corruption, and she could face Zia if convicted of a sentence preventing her from running in the general elections scheduled for this year.
The leader of the Bangladeshi opposition, who served as prime minister for two terms and is the chair of the Nationalist Party, says the case is politically motivated, while the Bangladeshi public prosecutor accuses Khaleda Zia, 72, her son Tariq Rahman, and two assistants of stealing about 21 million taka (252,000 dollars) from a fund Credit to an orphanage.
The trial of Khaleda Zia and her son ended today before a special court to try corruption, and a verdict is expected on February 8th, and the head of the Public Prosecution Authority, Musharraf Hussain Kazal, told reporters after the final arguments in the case that the prosecution hopes that all defendants will be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Khaleda Zia’s trial in the corruption file has continued for years due to numerous appeals. The opposition leader's lawyers say that the charges against her are aimed at removing her and her family - who ruled the country for 15 years - from politics. Lawyer Mawdud Ahmed told the French press agency, “The case is not a criminal case but a case. Political, "and added that the indictment file is devoid of evidence and Khaleda Zia will be acquitted.
Khaleda Zia faces dozens of charges in separate cases related to violence and corruption, and her son, who is in exile in London, was convicted in a money laundering file in 2016.