Authorities in Bangladesh continue to crack down on political figures believed to be involved in corruption charges, the latest prominent politician detained being former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

Security forces arrested Zia and her younger son Arafat Rahman on Monday, both facing charges of corruption and extortion. The 62-year-old politician allegedly used her influence in 2003 to select the operator of state-owned cargo depots.

She pleaded not guilty and demanded to be released on bail, but a Dhaka court turned down the plea and sent Zia along with her son to prison, pending the inquiry of a government panel.

Dozens of policemen surrounded Zia’s villa just before dawn and both detainees were taken to a local court amid impressive security measures taken in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka.

Her elder son Tareq Rahman has been arrested earlier this year and faces charges of corruption and extortion. Arafat Rahman is being accused of facilitating the closure of government contracts for persons from which he allegedly accepted bribes.

The government appointed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate scandals surrounding politicians and other important figures in Bangladesh. The ACC found evidence that another former prime minister and Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina received money from a company involved in a project to build power plants in the country.

This corruption scandal included six other personalities which were occupying key positions in the government a decade ago. Hasina has been dragged into several other corruption cases and faces numerous charges that would probably take years to be resolved.

The interim government backed by the army pledged to rout out corruption from all its structures before elections take place and as a direct consequence, more than 150 politicians have been arrested and imprisoned over the past period.

Emergency rule has been imposed in Bangladesh since January, after political turmoil led to an outbreak of violence that ravaged the country and delayed elections.