High Court grants bail to Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda

By Anis Ahmed

DHAKA (Reuters) - The Bangladesh High Court granted bail to detained former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia on Tuesday, clearing the way for her release after 12 months behind bars on corruption charges.

The court bailed her on the remaining two of four charges brought after her arrest in September 2007 by the army-backed interim government.

Khaleda denied any wrongdoing while in power. Her lawyers said she would leave jail very soon.

"Now no further obstacle remains on her way to freedom," said attorney Rafiqul Haque. Officials said it might take one or two more days to complete the formalities for her release.

Khaleda's arch rival and co-detainee, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, was granted parole in June to travel to the United States for treatment of ear and eye complaints.

Last week the High Court bailed Tareque Rahman, Khaleda's son and political heir apparent, on six corruption charges. That cleared the way for Tareque, senior joint secretary-general of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), to seek treatment abroad for what his doctors say is a broken back bone.

About 170 key politicians, mostly from the BNP and Hasina's Awami League, were detained in a huge anti-corruption drive after the interim administration took charge in January 2007 following months of political violence.

Over the past two months more than 50 have been freed and more have also sought bail, police and prison officials said.