Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda Zia sentenced to 5 years in jail

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been found guilty of a graft charge and sentenced to five years in prison.

Amid tight security, Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Special Court-5 in Dhaka delivered the 632-page verdict on Thursday afternoon.

The court awarded 10 years of sentence each to five others including Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman.

Law Minister Anisul Haq told journalists that " she (Khaleda Zia) will land in jail today."

He said Khaleda Zia could appeal to the Supreme Court against the verdict.

Ahead of her graft case verdict, Zia on Wednesday once again pleaded not guilty in the charge.

The graft case was filed in July 2008 which said Zia and five others including her son and BNP's senior vice president Tarique Rahman, had embezzled over 20 million takas (253,164 U.S. dollars) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust during her 2001-2006 prime minister term.

Zia often said political vendettas are to blame for the cases against her son during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's incumbent government.