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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Former Bangladeshi ministers held | Former Bangladeshi ministers held |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Two former Bangladeshi ministers have been arrested, a day after three politicians were detained in a continuing anti-corruption drive. | Two former Bangladeshi ministers have been arrested, a day after three politicians were detained in a continuing anti-corruption drive. |
| Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, a former minister in the government of Khaleda Zia, was arrested at his home. | Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, a former minister in the government of Khaleda Zia, was arrested at his home. |
| A former minister in her rival Sheikh Hasina's government, Sheikh Selim, was also picked up at his Dhaka home. | A former minister in her rival Sheikh Hasina's government, Sheikh Selim, was also picked up at his Dhaka home. |
| Dozens of top politicians have been detained since a state of emergency was declared in January. | |
| It was declared by the military-backed caretaker administration which also suspended parliamentary elections that had been due in January. | It was declared by the military-backed caretaker administration which also suspended parliamentary elections that had been due in January. |
| The caretaker administration says it will hold polls by late 2008, giving it time to deal with Bangladesh's endemic corruption. | The caretaker administration says it will hold polls by late 2008, giving it time to deal with Bangladesh's endemic corruption. |
| 'Autocratic' | |
| The BBC's John Sudworth in Dhaka says convoys of slow-moving troop carriers could be seen making their way through one of Dhaka's most wealthy residential areas in the early hours of Tuesday morning. | |
| The government has targeted politicians, not corruption - otherwise, it would not have arrested clean politicians like [Abdul] Jalil Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina | |
| Our correspondent says that with a ban on politics still in place, the political parties have been careful not to criticise the military-backed government too strongly. | |
| But the Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina denounced the latest detentions, saying they were an "autocratic move... directed more against politicians than corruption". | |
| There was no immediate comment from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). | |
| Mr Chowdhury served as interior and commerce minister when the BNP was in power. Mr Selim was health minister for the Awami League. | |
| It was not immediately clear what the two men had been charged with. | It was not immediately clear what the two men had been charged with. |
| A leading businessman, Abdul Awal Mintoo, who headed the country's top trade body, was also detained on Tuesday. | A leading businessman, Abdul Awal Mintoo, who headed the country's top trade body, was also detained on Tuesday. |
| The three people arrested on Monday were leading figures in Bangladesh's two main political parties - Abdul Jalil, the secretary general of the Awami League, and the BNP's Lutfozzaman Babar and MA Hashem. | |
| Charges against the three men have not been disclosed. | Charges against the three men have not been disclosed. |
| Abdul Jalil is Sheikh Hasina's second-in-command and the most senior politician to be detained so far. | |
| Sentenced in absentia | Sentenced in absentia |
| Last week, one of the most important figures in Khaleda Zia's government was given a three-year jail sentence. | Last week, one of the most important figures in Khaleda Zia's government was given a three-year jail sentence. |
| Harris Chowdhury was found guilty by a special anti-corruption court set up by the interim government. | Harris Chowdhury was found guilty by a special anti-corruption court set up by the interim government. |
| The sentence was imposed in absentia as he is in hiding. It was the first such sentence against a high-ranking politician. | The sentence was imposed in absentia as he is in hiding. It was the first such sentence against a high-ranking politician. |
| The interim government has made tackling corruption its main objective. | The interim government has made tackling corruption its main objective. |
| Among the many prominent people under arrest is Ms Zia's influential elder son, Tarique Rahman. He was detained in March, accused of extorting $147,000 from a construction company. He has denied wrongdoing. | Among the many prominent people under arrest is Ms Zia's influential elder son, Tarique Rahman. He was detained in March, accused of extorting $147,000 from a construction company. He has denied wrongdoing. |