Khaleda Zia seeks bail in graft case on health grounds

Bangladesh's ex-premier and opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia on Sunday filed a petition in the High Court seeking bail on medical grounds in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case in which she was jailed for seven years.

In the petition, Zia said she has was suffering from several diseases, including diabetes and dental problem, the Daily Star reported.

The 73-year-old three-time former prime minister also argued that since she has already served two-and-a-half years in jail in the case, she deserves the bail.

A high court bench of Justices Obaidul Hassan and SM Kuddus Zaman will hear her bail petition on Tuesday, the report said.

A Dhaka court on October 29 last year sentenced Zia to seven years of imprisonment in the corruption case.

She is also undergoing a 10-year jail term in a corruption case in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about USD 250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician.

The BNP chief has been admitted to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University since April 1 for treatment after spending more than a year in the Dhaka's century-old jail, where she was the only prisoner.