Dhaka: Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia was awarded a five year jail term by a court on charges of corruption.
The leader of the opposition, Zia was convicted when she was found guilty of stealing $252,000 from a trust created for an orphanage.
Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, a co-defendant in the case, and four of her aides were sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Zia, however, had dismissed the charge by calling it politically motivated.
“Since the court has been able to prove the charges against her and considering her social and physical status, Zia has been sentenced to five years in jail in the section 409 and 109 of the penal codes,” said the judge, Mohammad Akhteruzzaman.
Earlier violent clashes broke out between security forces and pro-opposition protesters in the capital Dhaka.
