Bangladesh's premier to be cleared of graft charges

Dhaka - Authorities in Bangladesh decided Wednesday to withdraw all 'politically motivated' graft charges brought against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed during her time in opposition. 'The government has decided to withdraw all 12 cases against the premier filed during the four-party alliance regime of Khaleda Zia and the interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed,' the State Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Quamrul Islam said after a meeting that reviewed charges brought in the last seven years. Hasina had been arrested in a graft case filed during the military-backed administration that ruled the South Asian country for two years in the wake of political turmoil in 2006. Bangladesh returned to a parliametary democracy earlier this year and the government went on to review all cases deemed politically motivated. Hasina's Awami League-led alliance enjoys a huge parliamentary majority and formed a government in January. More than 5,000 applications were submitted at district level-committees, the state minister, who heads the review team, said, adding that his committee suggested lifting of 50 more cases filed against political leaders. However, Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who applied for having corruption charges against her lifted, was not in the list. Zia was detained along with her family members by the military-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed in 2007. The minister said that the government will suggest for the Anti Corruption Commission to withdraw 26 graft cases. The remaining 36 criminal cases will be withdrawn through executive order to be issued by the justice ministry. Quamrul said a total of 113 cases had been reviewed out of 824 applications received by the central committee.