Police in Bangladesh arrested former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and one of her sons Monday on charges of corruption and misuse of power, officials said. The military-backed government canceled elections earlier this year after months of politically motivated violence. Zia told a Dhaka court that she and her son are innocent, but they were both ordered jailed pending trial. «This is a conspiracy to tarnish the image of my family and my party,» Zia said. «We have done nothing wrong. This case against us must be lifted.» From the court, Zia, escorted by hundreds of police, was taken to a makeshift prison near the Parliament building. Her prison is just a few blocks from where another ex-premier, Sheikh Hasina, has been held since July on extortion charges. The officials arrested Zia at her home in the Bangladeshi capital hours after a case was filed by an anti-corruption official against her and her youngest son, Arafat Rahman Coco, Dhaka Metropolitan Police official Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman told The Associated Press by phone.
