Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Bangladesh foreign minister begins 13-year corruption sentence

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Former Bangladeshi foreign minister Morshed Khan began serving as a 13-year sentence on Sunday, after surrendering to a Dhaka court. Khan, who served from 2001 to 2006 under former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was convicted last September of illegally amassing nearly $250,000 by the country's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Khan fled the country following the January 2007 state of emergency declaration suspended democratic rights throughout the country. The trial court denied Khan's request for bail in compliance with a directive from the High Court of Bangladesh. Three other Zia officials were jailed in November. Zia herself was arrested on suspicion of corruption in September 2007. Khan was one of nearly 200 former government officials charged with corruption by the interim military government of former-President Iajuddin Ahmed. In April, prosecutors dropped some of the corruption charges against current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hasina served as prime minister from 1996-2001 and was re-elected in December after Ahmed lifted the state of emergency. In May 2008, Hasina was indicted after the ACC accused her of receiving about $440,000 in illegal kickbacks from a power-plant deal during her prior tenure as prime minister, accusations which she denies. Bangladesh's anti-corruption crackdown began after the declaration of emergency in February 2007 as eight former Bangladeshi ministers were accused of corruption and 13 other former ministers and senior politicians were arrested in raids on their homes.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on May 10, 2009 (boomark / email).