Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister and current opposition leader Khaleda Zia has been sentenced to five-year imprisonment in a corruption case by the judge Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman of a Special Court-5 in Dhaka.

Upon accusation, Zia had denied it and claimed it to be politically motivated. As a consequence of the verdict, Zia had been debarred to contest the upcoming December elections.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader was convicted of theft of fund of $252,000 which was meant for an orphanage started by Zia in the memory of her husband and former Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman. Along with Zia, five others, including his son were also convicted of the embezzlement though sentenced to ten years imprisonment, unlike Zia.

Khaleda Zia held a press conference prior to the verdict where she discarded all the accusations and hoped for a favourable judgement. She reiterated that all this is a planned trap to defame her and invalidate her candidature in the upcoming election. “I’m not afraid of jail or punishment. I’m not going to bow my head.” She had said.

Considering the sensitivity of the issue, the administration had put adequate security personnel in Dhaka. The police resorted to tear gas to control the protesting mob.