Zia challenges graft case sentence

Dhaka: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Tuesday challenged the five-year prison sentence handed out to her in a corruption case, claiming that the verdict was politically motivated to debar her from contesting the general elections in December. The 72-year-old three-time former PM and main Opposition leader was sentenced by a Special Court on February 8 in connection with the embezzlement of $250,000 in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust. PTI

Ex-Catalan MP spurns Spain SC summons

Madrid: A former member of Catalonia's Parliament who has fled to Switzerland from Spain says she will not attend a Spanish court summons over her alleged role in the region's declaration of independence last year. Anna Gabriel, a member of the far-left Catalan party CUP, told the Swiss newspaper Le Temps that she planned to stay in Switzerland and would not travel to Madrid to face Supreme Court charges which include rebellion and sedition. CUP confirmed her comments. Reuters