Bangladesh ex-minister gets eight years for tax evasion

DHAKA: A court in Bangladesh has sentenced a former cabinet minister on the run from the authorities to eight years in jail for tax evasion, an official said on Thursday.   

The special anti-graft court also sentenced Shahjahan Siraj's wife and son, who are on the run too, to eight years in prison each in decisions reached on Wednesday, court police officer Enamul Karim said.   

The tribunal in Dhaka also ordered the confiscation of the family's property.   

His wife Rabeya and son Rajib each received three years for submitting false details to tax authorities and five years for concealing income from an anti-corruption commission.   

Siraj was a minister in the country's last elected government. He held environment portfolios in the administration led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which ended its term in late 2006.   

The anti-graft courts were set up as part of a massive corruption crackdown by the military-backed government that later took charge.

Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since January 11, when elections were cancelled following months of violence over vote-rigging allegations.   

The interim government took power the following day and has vowed to clean up the country's politics before holding an election by late 2008.   

At least 150 high-profile figures have been detained under the anti-graft drive. They include Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the former prime minister and leader of the opposition Awami League party.   

Siraj is the sixth former minister to be sentenced by the special court.