The Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAC) filed the charges against Sheikh Hasina, head of the Awami League party, former navy chief Nurul Islam and four others, at a court in Dhaka late Sunday, court officials said, adding no date was fixed for the next hearing.

The BAC originally filed a case on August 7 last year alleging their involvement in the purchase of the DW 2000H frigate for the Bangladesh Navy from the Daewoo Corporation during Sheikh Hasina's 1996-2001 tenure as prime minister.

It claimed the deal had caused a loss of more than five billion takamillion dollars) of public money.

The BAC says nine firms bid for the supply of a frigate with a Chinese company offering the lowest price of 68 million dollars.

Daewoo ranked fourth lowest with a price of 99.97 million dollars. The BAC says the accused used their official power and influence to award the contract to Daewoo which rivals claimed had no expertise to build such a sophisticated battle ship.

The frigate was delivered six months ahead of schedule towards the end of Sheikh Hasina's government and was named "Bangabandhu" after her father and the country's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In February last year, the authorities detected some irregularities in its construction and decided to decommission it from the navy.

Prosecution inspector Mir Mohammad Jaynal Abedin Shiblee who filed the original case, Sunday gave a list of 45 prosecution witnesses and 11 pieces of evidence to be produced during the trial.

The accused are expected to seek advance bail from the court to avoid arrest. If the charges are proved they could go to prison for up to five years.

Sheikh Hasina's party dismissed the charges as "totally concocted and baseless, aimed at political victimisation and harassment."

This is one of several graft and other cases filed against Sheikh Hasina since her rival Zia came to power with a two-third parliamentary majority in a general election in October 2001.

In March 2002, a murder case was filed against her and three others, 19 years after two people were killed in police firing.

Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil said Zia's government was "champion in corruption and misrule and is filing such repressive cases one after another to divert the attention of the people."

WAR.WIRE