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Bangladesh prosecutors to drop two corruption charges against PM

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Bangladeshi state prosecutor said Monday that he is seeking to drop two of several corruption charges pending against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina because they were politically motivated. State prosecutor Abdullah Abu said the two charges, as well as charges against other officials, were filed to harass leaders. Abu also said petitions to drop 50 cases against other politicians were filed and that several hundred other charges would not be pursued if shown to be politically motivated. Hasina, a member of the Bangladesh Awami League, is still facing several other corruption charges. In July 2007, she was arrested on suspicion of extorting more than $1 million from two businesspersons while she was prime minister from 1996-2001. She denied the accusations. After an investigation by Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Hasina was formally charged with extortion in January 2008. Five months later, she was indicted after the ACC accused her of receiving about $440,000 in illegal kickbacks from a power-plant deal during her prior tenure as prime minister. In September, Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International rated Bangladesh the tenth most politically and administratively corrupt country out of 180 countries studied in 2008.VOTE FOR JURIST JURIST is nominated for a 2009 Webby Award as best Law website. Please vote for us here!

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 27, 2009 (boomark / email).