Bangladesh Supreme Court Acquits Former PM Khaleda Zia in Corruption Case

The ruling overturns a 2018 conviction, enabling the 79-year-old leader to contest upcoming elections as political tensions rise in the country.

Khaleda Zia, a two-time former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, was acquitted by the Supreme Court in a corruption case involving alleged embezzlement of orphanage trust funds.
The case, filed in 2008, had previously led to a 10-year prison sentence for Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, and others, which the Supreme Court has now overturned.
This decision clears Zia, 79, to run in upcoming elections after years of legal battles, during which her health deteriorated, requiring recent medical treatment in London.
The verdict follows significant political upheaval, including the resignation and exile of Zia's rival, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who faces charges from the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Zia's family, has called for elections to address the country's growing political and economic instability.