According to the BBC: “The charges relate to the awarding in 2004 of a contract to operate a coal mine in northern Bangladesh to a Chinese firm.” The assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Shamsul Alam, told AFP that: “irregularities over the awarding of a contract to run a coal mine in northern Bangladesh in 2004 led to state losses of [US] 23 million dollars.”

“This is the third graft case against the Bangladesh National Party [BNP] chief [Zia], who ruled the country from 2001 to 2006 and is in jail since September last year,” notes the Hindustan Times. Rizvi Ahmad, spokesperson for the BNP, has declared that: “The charges which have been framed against the BNP chief are false, fabricated and are designed to taint her political image, banning her from future general elections," reports The Earth Times.

According to Reuters: “More than 170 key political figures have been detained since the interim authority took charge in January last year, following months of political violence.” Sheikh Hasina, who leads the Awami League party and was prime minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001, is also in custody on corruption and other charges (Associated Press).

Khandaker Delwar Hossain, the Khaleda Zia-nominated BNP secretary general, has stated: “Holding elections while Hasina and Ms. Zia are both in jail would be unacceptable”, reports the Bangladesh Independent.

The BBC writes that instead of organising elections within three months as laid down by the constitution, the caretaker government has said it first needs “to clean up Bangladesh's corrupt political system.”