A Bangladesh court on Sunday charged former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed with taking bribes, as part of a corruption crackdown by the emergency government, a state prosecutor said.The judge who indicted the 60-year-old ex-premier said there was enough evidence for the prosecution to go ahead, said state lawyer Shamim Ahsan.
“She is charged with taking 30 million (taka) (437,000 dollars) in bribes from a power company in exchange for awarding it a state contract. She is also charged with abusing her power to deny the contract to the rightful bidder,” said Ahsan. Sheikh Hasina, who has already been indicted in another graft case, faces up to ten years in jail if found guilty of the charges, he said. She would also be automatically barred from contesting the next polls scheduled for December. The former premier, who is leader of the Awami League party, was in court when the judge passed the order.