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Hasina wants timely polls even if she's barred

Staff Correspondent
Detained former premier and Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina has demanded general elections on schedule despite her fears of being barred from taking part due to a "cooked up" extortion case.
The "concocted" Tk 3 crore extortion case was filed against her to undermine Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's family, she said in an emotion-choked voice.
She said this yesterday during a meeting with her counsels after the Court of the Sessions Judge fixed
next Sunday for charge framing of the case filed by businessman Azam J Chowdhury on June 13 last year.
"They want to make me disqualified from taking part in the general elections. And all the arrangements have been made in this regard. Even if I were barred from contesting the elections, let it be held in time," said an ailing Hasina.
"The verdict has already been prepared to be delivered. And it was designed as far as it's possible to undermine the family of the father of the nation," added Hasina who appeared before the court with a feeble look yesterday morn-
ing.
"I’ve been given a condition that I have to accept the verdict, which means they know what would be the verdict in the end.
"Insisting that much on a issue that J cannot talk against the verdict only means the verdict is designed," said Hasina standing on the dock beside her cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, another accused in the case.
"Obviously, I would not go abroad on any condition imposed," she said.
"1 want justice from the people of Bangladesh," Hasina uttered her
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last words before she was taken to the sub-jail.
Earlier, at 9:38am an ailing Hasina in ash-coloured shawl and brownish saree appeared before the court. Selim in a white shin and black suit arrived at 9:25am.
"When justice is influenced and even delivered as ordered, undergoing medical check-up means nothing here," she said in reply to a question of nearby journalists over her health condition.
She also mentioned that she is suffering from multiple sickness including high blood pressure, vertigo, eye and ear problems.
"But it is meaningless mentioning the diseases I am suffering from."
Mentioning examples of floods and economic recession in Asia
during the tenure of AL government, Hasina said: "At that time only we were successful to control the inflation. We couldn't have been were not be able to provide the poor rice at aboutTk 10 per kg if we were involved in theft."
"How could we reduce power crisis by generating 4,000 MW if we were thieves?" she asked.
Mentioning the deal stroke between the Russian state-owned power generation company Techno Prom Export (TPE) and Power Development Board for the first phase of erecting and commissioning of Siddhirganj power plant in Narayanganj in 2000, Hasina said: "Mydeal was fair."
"Foreign investment in our country is being stopped gradually. And this is happening only because of
false and baseless cases being filed involving foreign companies," she observed.
Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of Eastcoast Trading Private Ltd, filed theTk 3 crore extortion case with Gulshan Police Station against Hasina and AL leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim.
Regarding the case Hasina said: "Is there any record where the extorted money had existed? Selim went Ganabhaban to give me share of the extorted money but how?
"Did Selim enter Ganabhaban carrying the extorted money on bare head?" Hasina questioned. She added that there are cameras set surrounding Ganabhaban and the incident must have been videoed if were real.
"Where are those documents if there is any such incident and where is the money." Hasina questioned repeatedly during her meeting with the defence lawyers.
THE EXTORTION CASE
In the FIR, Azam J Chowdhury' mentioned that Hasina's cousin former lawmaker Sheikh Selim tried to be the local agent of Russian company TPE and on different occasions tried to influence the TPE chief to serve his purpose.
Selim continued to put pressure on Azam, prompting the complainant to strike a deal of paying Tk 2.99 crore to Selim besides making the proposal of making him a consultant during the second phase of the work, the FIR says.
Azam also said Selim also threatened that the complainant would not be able to withdraw any bill from PDB if he did not pay a commission from the work. The threats were issued between June and July 2000. the complainant added.
The name of Hasina's sister Sheikh Rehana was included in the charge sheet submitted on July 24 by the investigation officer.
A court accepted the charge sheet, issued a warrant of arrest against Rehana and ordered confiscation of her property.
Law enforcement agencies arrested Hasina on July 16 and produced her before a magistrate’s court, which sent her to the sub-jail on parliament premises.