Bangladesh SC cancels Sheikh Hasina's bail

DHAKA: The Supreme Court in Bangladesh on Monday cancelled the bail granted to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by the High Court in a bribery case involving a power company.
The apex court cancelled Hasina's bail obtained from the High Court in a case that accused her of taking a bribe from a power company while heading the Awami League government and allegedly using it to buy a building for Bangabandhu Memorial Trust.
The apex court also halted the High Court freeze on the proceedings of the case, clearing the way for trial to proceed in the lower court.
The bench of the Appellate Division headed by chief justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin issued the orders after hearing the petitions of the interim government and the powerful Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).
"The Supreme Court today has stayed the High Court orders and said the trial of the case will now proceed in the lower court," Hasina's counsel barrister Fazle Noor Tapash said.
"We are disappointed with the Supreme Court orders today," Tapash was quoted as saying by the private news agency bdnews24 today.
The High Court had the granted Awami League leader bail in the case on November 4 and the case proceedings the same day as well.
In a related development, the High Court on Monday stayed a graft commission notice demanding the wealth statement of detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The current government has pledged to clean up politics before holding elections by the end of 2008. Nearly 200 high-profile political leaders have so far been arrested on charges of corruption, extortion and abuse of powers.