October 09, 2007	Tuesday	Ramazan 26, 1428

DHAKA, Oct 8: A former Bangladesh home minister was on Monday sentenced to 13 years in prison, the latest in a string of high-profile casualties in the emergency government’s crackdown on political corruption.

Mohammad Nasim, home minister in the Awami League government of 1996-2001, was jailed by a special court for amassing illegal wealth worth 16 million taka ($232,000) and concealing income, said prosecutor Shamim Ahsan.

Nasim is the highest-ranking Awami League politician to be convicted of graft so far. He was also fined one million taka and will have illegally held property confiscated.

The fast-track anti-graft court set up by the military-backed government also jailed Nasim’s wife Arjumand Banu in absentia for three years as an accessory.

The former home minister was one of about 150 prominent graft suspects — from both the country’s two main parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League — detained since February.—AFP