Bangladesh's former PM Khaleda Zia admitted to hospital in Dhaka
Bangladesh's jailed former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia was admitted to hospital in Dhaka today following a court order as her health deteriorated, a media report stated. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chief, Zia, 73, is currently on trial for corruption charges in a makeshift courtroom inside a 19th-century British-built prison where she is the only inmate and is in failing health.
Zia complained of losing sensation in her hand and leg
Zia had recently complained to the court that she was losing feeling in her hand and a leg. In an order on Thursday, the High Court instructed to admit Khaleda to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. In response to a writ petition, the court had asked the authorities to form a fresh five-member medical board to examine Zia's health condition and start her treatment.
Zia was jailed for 5yrs after being convicted of corruption
Zia was admitted to the Medical University today afternoon amid tight security. A police car brought her out of the prison. Many BNP activists were at the hospital to see Khaleda but were blocked from approaching her by police. Zia was jailed for five years in February after being convicted of corruption, a sentence that triggered clashes between police and thousands of her supporters.
Zia appealing against verdict that bars her from contesting polls
Khaleda Zia was granted bail in a corruption case in May but remains in jail while she fights dozens of other violence and graft charges. She was found guilty then of embezzling money intended for an orphanage, a charge she dismissed as politically motivated. She is appealing against the verdict which bars her from standing in a General Election to be held in December.
