DHAKA(PTI): A special court in Bangladesh June 7, convicted de posed president Hussain Muhammad Ershad and his wife, Roshan Ershad, on a corruption case and sentenced both to seven years of simple imprisonment, While the one man court of additional sessions judge Ansauddin Sikdar sentenced Ershad to seven years’ simple imprisonment for criminal misconduct under the prevention of corruption act, it sentenced Begum Raushan Ershad, along with 17 others, t0.a similar term in jail for abetment. This was the first case in which Ershad and his wife were convicted together. Justice Sikdar in his 91 page verdict said Ershad was found guilty under prevention of corruption act.
Although the two charges of misuse of power and possession of wealth, disproportionate to his known sources of income wore proved beyond doubt, the court sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment only on count,
The 63yearold former general H.M.Ershad, who seized power in a bloodless coup in March 1982 and ruled Bangladesh for nine years before being ousted in December 1990, is already serving 13 years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with two separate cases of possession of illegal arms and possession of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 11, 1993
