BANGLADESH: High Court grants bail to Sheikh Hasina

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Updated July 31, 2007 20:10:40

Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been granted bail by the High Court, less than two weeks after being detained on extortion charges. The court's given Bangladesh's interim government two weeks to justify the legality of using emergency laws to prosecute the Awami League leader -- rather than pursuing the case through ordinary legal processes. The government has filed a second extortion charge against Sheikh Hasina, meaning it may take some time before she's released from custody. But the High Court decision suggests the interim government's plans of eradicating corruption before holding elections next year may bring it into conflict with the judiciary.

Presenter: Corinne Podger
Speakers: Professor Taslima Monsoor, Law Department, Dhaka University

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