BBC News Online: World: South Asia

Corruption case suspended against Khaleda Zia

The High Court in Bangladesh has suspended a corruption case against the former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, for two weeks.

During that time the court will seek an explanation from the government on why it's pressing corruption charges against Mrs Zia before making a final decision on whether or not to proceed with the case.

She and nine other former ministers and officials are accused of misappropriating government funds during her time in office to purchase two planes for the state-run airline, Biman.

The former prime minister, who's led a campaign of protests against the authorities, has denied the charges, describing them as part of the government's attempts to harrass the opposition.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service