Court ruling may keep ex-Bangladesh ruler off polls
Source: Reuters
DHAKA, Dec 15 (Reuters) - A court ruling against Bangladesh's former army ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad in a long-running corruption case has added to the uncertainties sweeping the country ahead of parliamentary elections due next month. The Bangladesh High Court confirmed on Thursday a two-year jail sentence for Ershad after a lower court convicted him of squandering state funds in the purchase of patrol boats from Japan when he was in power from 1982 to 1990. Under the rules, Ershad who leads the small Jatiya party, cannot contest the election set for January 23 unless his conviction is overturned by the Supreme Court. The court decision is the latest twist in a tense political battle between A 14-party Awami League alliance led by Sheikh Hasina and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by Begum Khaleda Zia who stepped down as prime minister last October. Hasina who is bitterly opposed to Khaleda said there were political motives behind the verdict against Ershad who had planned to join her alliance for the election. "He is being fixed for not pledging loyalty to Khaleda and the court verdict was remote-controlled." There was no immediate comment from Ershad on the court sentence. Khaleda and Hasina had joined forces in late 1990 to topple Ershad from power. They fell out soon after and have since remained bitter foes. Bangladesh has been swept by controversies and violence in the run up to the elections. Hasina's Awami League has been campaigning for the removal of elections officials it accuses of a bias towards the BNP. It has also demanded that President Iajuddin Ahmed step down as head of an interim administration for failing to show neutrality. Khaleda accuses her rival of trying to subvert democracy and has urged the caretaker administration to press on with the elections next month. At least 44 people have been killed and hundreds injured in clashes between the rival parties in the past six weeks. (Additional reporting by Nizam Ahmed)
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