Bangladesh appeals against bail granted to Hasina

DHAKA, July 31 (Reuters) Bangladesh's army-backed interim government appealed to the Supreme Court today against the interim bail granted to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was detained on extortion charges.

''The Supreme Court has decided to hear and give a decision on Wednesday,'' a court registrar said.

The country's High Court yesterday granted the Awami League leader bail, ordered the authorities to suspend prosecution and asked the government to provide justification for the use of emergency laws to prosecute her.

Hasina's lawyers argued that emergency rules, which require the prosecution to be completed within 45 days, should not be used to try a case relating to offences allegedly committed in 1998.

Hasina was arrested on July 16 and sent to a house converted into a prison inside Dhaka's sprawling parliament compound. Charges of extorting money from a businessman were formally filed against her a week later.

But she was not freed immediately after the High Court order because of a second extortion charge filed last Sunday.

Hasina denies the charges, which she says are being used to try and force her out of politics ahead of the elections.

Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency imposed by the interim administration, which took over in January and launched a crackdown on corruption ahead of elections planned for late next year.

More than 170 political figures, including former ministers in both the governments of Hasina and her arch rival, Begum Khaleda Zia, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have been detained for graft and abuse of power.

REUTERS JT KP2044