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DHAKA - A BANGLADESH court hearing graft charges against detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday adjourned after defence lawyers said she had lost confidence in the court.
Hasina and her cousin, former minister Sheikh Selim, have been charged with allegedly taking 30 million taka (S$622,552) from a businessman when Hasina was in power between 1996 and 2001. Hasina and Selim deny the charges.
'I have no confidence in the court and I doubt that I will get a fair judgment,' a lawyer quoted Hasina saying during Tuesday's hearing.
'She also felt the judge (of the special court) was biased and unable to deliver a fair verdict,' he said before issuing a request to shift the case to a higher court.
A court official said the trial would resume on Feb 11.
The judge would rule if the request was lawful.
The court is supposed to deliver a verdict within 60 days of the start of the trial. A conviction would bar Hasina from running in elections expected later this year.
Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since January last year, when the interim government headed by former central bank chief Fakhruddin Ahmed took power. He banned political activity and launched a drive against corruption.
More than 170 people have been detained, including former prime ministers Hasina and her rival Begum Khaleda Zia. -- REUTERS
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