Bangladesh's ex-premier and opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia, serving a 10-year jail term, received a temporary relief on Tuesday after a high court granted her six-month bail in two defamation cases.&nbsp;

However, the 73-year-old three-time former prime minister cannot be released from jail as she has been convicted in two other cases.&nbsp;

A High Court bench of Justice Mohammad Abdul Habib and Justice Ahmed Sohel on Tuesday granted bail to Zia in two separate defamation cases after hearing bail pleas filed by her lawyers.

In 2014 and 2016, two cases were filed against Zia on the charges of hurting religious sentiment of Muslims and for making derogatory comments on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

AB Siddique, president of Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a front organisation of ruling Awami League, filed the cases.

He filed one case on October 21, 2014 claiming that Zia at a programme in Dhaka in the same year said "the ruling party's (Awami League) professed secularism was nothing but a sham,"&nbsp;adding that her remarks hurt religious sentiments of Muslims, the Daily Star reported.

In another defamation case filed with a Dhaka court, he claimed that Zia at a programme in Engineers Institution said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not want the independence of Bangladesh, rather he wanted to be the prime minister of Pakistan, the daily said.

The trial court issued arrest warrants against Zia on March 20, after which the BNP chairperson filed two petitions with the High Court, on May 22, seeking bail in those cases.

Zia was sentenced to five years in jail in February last year by a local court after being convicted in a corruption case in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about $250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician.&nbsp;

The High Court later doubled the jail term for imprisoned opposition leader from five to 10 years following a prosecution appeal.

Bangladesh's ex-premier and opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia, serving a 10-year jail term, received a temporary relief on Tuesday after a high court granted her six-month bail in two defamation cases.

Bangladesh's ex-premier and opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia, serving a 10-year jail term, received a temporary relief on Tuesday after a high court granted her six-month bail in two defamation cases. However, the 73-year-old three-time former prime minister cannot be released from jail as she has been convicted in two other cases. A High Court bench of Justice Mohammad Abdul Habib and Justice Ahmed Sohel on Tuesday granted bail to Zia in two separate defamation cases after hearing bail pleas filed by her lawyers. In 2014 and 2016, two cases were filed against Zia on the charges of hurting religious sentiment of Muslims and for making derogatory comments on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. AB Siddique, president of Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a front organisation of ruling Awami League, filed the cases. He filed one case on October 21, 2014 claiming that Zia at a programme in Dhaka in the same year said "the ruling party's (Awami League) professed secularism was nothing but a sham," adding that her remarks hurt religious sentiments of Muslims, the Daily Star reported. In another defamation case filed with a Dhaka court, he claimed that Zia at a programme in Engineers Institution said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not want the independence of Bangladesh, rather he wanted to be the prime minister of Pakistan, the daily said. The trial court issued arrest warrants against Zia on March 20, after which the BNP chairperson filed two petitions with the High Court, on May 22, seeking bail in those cases. Zia was sentenced to five years in jail in February last year by a local court after being convicted in a corruption case in connection with the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about $250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician. The High Court later doubled the jail term for imprisoned opposition leader from five to 10 years following a prosecution appeal.

Bangladesh: Former PM Khaleda Zia gets 6-month bail in two defamation cases

A Bangladeshi court on Thursday ordered the arrest of former prime minister Khaleda Zia for skipping a scheduled appearance as the main accused in a graft case, the third such warrant issued against the country&#39;s main opposition BNP chief in less than two months.

Court officials said 72-year-old Zia was supposed to resume delivering her unfinished statement defending herself before the Dhaka&#39;s Fifth Special Court in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

However, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) instead announced a country-wide demonstration where it called the court order &quot;politically motivated&quot; and a part of a plan by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&#39;s Awami League-led government.

&quot;The judge (of Dhaka&#39;s Fifth Special Court) issued the arrest warrant as she failed to appear as scheduled in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case once again,&quot; a court official said.

This was the third such warrant against the ex-premier since October 10 when two courts in Dhaka separately ordered her arrest after she failed to appear before them as she was in London on a private visit.

She subsequently obtained bail, surrendering before the courts on her return home, he said.

Zia earlier claimed that cases filed against her to be &quot;false, motivated and imaginary made up&quot; and aimed at harassing her.

She is accused in several graft cases, including one under which she allegedly misappropriated funds of an orphanage trust named after her husband and slain president Ziaur Rahman.

Zia is also being tried in another case for inducting in her cabinet during the 2001-2006 tenure people who were opposed to the country&#39;s 1971 independence and subsequently convicted and hanged for committing warcrimes.&nbsp;

This was the third such warrant against the ex-premier since October 10 when two courts in Dhaka separately ordered her arrest after she failed to appear before them

A Bangladeshi court on Thursday ordered the arrest of former prime minister Khaleda Zia for skipping a scheduled appearance as the main accused in a graft case, the third such warrant issued against the country's main opposition BNP chief in less than two months. Court officials said 72-year-old Zia was supposed to resume delivering her unfinished statement defending herself before the Dhaka's Fifth Special Court in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. However, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) instead announced a country-wide demonstration where it called the court order "politically motivated" and a part of a plan by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League-led government. "The judge (of Dhaka's Fifth Special Court) issued the arrest warrant as she failed to appear as scheduled in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case once again," a court official said. This was the third such warrant against the ex-premier since October 10 when two courts in Dhaka separately ordered her arrest after she failed to appear before them as she was in London on a private visit. She subsequently obtained bail, surrendering before the courts on her return home, he said. Zia earlier claimed that cases filed against her to be "false, motivated and imaginary made up" and aimed at harassing her. She is accused in several graft cases, including one under which she allegedly misappropriated funds of an orphanage trust named after her husband and slain president Ziaur Rahman. Zia is also being tried in another case for inducting in her cabinet during the 2001-2006 tenure people who were opposed to the country's 1971 independence and subsequently convicted and hanged for committing warcrimes.

Bangladeshi court orders Khaleda Zia's arrest for non-appearance in graft case

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Bangladesh: Former PM Khaleda Zia gets 6-month bail in two defamation cases

Bangladeshi court orders Khaleda Zia's arrest for non-appearance in graft case