By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh's former prime minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina Friday termed as a "conspiracy" the government's action to slap charges against her to prevent her from leaving for the US.
The conspiracy, she said was aimed at keeping her out of the election process.
Hasina dismissed the two cases of extortion filed against her Thursday and said contributions given to her party "cannot be called extortion," Star Online reported.
Hasina was to have left for the US to be with her daughter who is expecting a baby next month. But charges were filed against her a day before her departure.
Subsequently, a metropolitan magistrate's court passed orders directing immigration authorities to prevent her from leaving.
"The effort is going on so that I cannot take part in the elections. I am being deprived of my rights to serve the people of the country; at the same time people are being deprived of my services…This is nothing but a 'conspiracy'," she said.
Hasina was speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Vietnam envoy to Bangladesh.
"Whatever is being done, aims to keep me out of the election process," she was quoted as saying.
Only six weeks back, the government had made an abortive, brief attempt to prevent her return from the US, when British Airways was asked not to allow her to board the aircraft despite a valid confirmed ticket.
Hasina already faces an extortion charge and a murder charge. The two were slapped on her when she was in the US in April.
Her movement even within the country is restricted. She was prevented from visiting Chittagong, "for security reasons", where she meant to meet families affected by last week's rain and landslides, killing 126 persons.
Both Hasina and her political rival Khaleda Zia and their families and political supporters have been detained and are being investigated for corruption charges.
Zia was also under pressure through March-April to leave the country for Saudi Arabia. She reportedly entered into a 'deal', but later prevaricated and backed out.
Zia's politician-son Tareq ahman, in jail since March 7 for extorting money, was denied bail by a court Thursday.