The trial of Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members accused of extortion will be held in the parliament complex where she is jailed.
DHAKA: The trial of Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members accused of extortion will be held in the parliament complex where she is jailed, authorities here have decided on grounds of security.
The law ministry on Tuesday issued a gazette notification under which the Dhaka metropolitan magistrate has been asked to conduct the proceedings in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan, or parliament complex.
Five public prosecutors have also been appointed under this notification to conduct the trial -- on the charge that Hasina, her Britain-based sister Rehana and cousin and political associate Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim extorted Taka 29 million ($490,000 approx) from a businessman in return for clearing his proposal.
While Hasina has been lodged in the special jail since July 16, Selim has been detained and Rehana, summoned by the court on Nov 11, has not complied yet.
The family has denied the charge.
Azam J. Chowdhury, managing director of Eastcoast Trading Pvt Ltd, filed the case against Hasina and Selim, accusing them of extortion.
The Awami League chief earned a brief reprieve in another case from the Supreme Court that Tuesday rejected the appeal by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the government against a high court ruling that said the notice issued to Hasina to declare her wealth was illegal.
Both Hasina and her political rival, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, have won appeals after the court ruled that the ACC's procedure for summoning wealth declaration statements was illegal.
The ACC, which has been spearheading the anti-corruption drive of the government, has used identical procedure for 200-plus high profile persons accused of concealing wealth and dodging tax payments.
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