The son of a former Bangladesh prime minister has been charged with taking a €1.9m bribe to cover up the murder of a businessman.

Police searched the house of detained former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia and confiscated documents and mobile phones, an official said today.

Police in Bangladesh arrested former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on corruption charges today, the latest in a series of moves by the military-backed government to undermine a political elite widely viewed as corrupt.

The head of Bangladesh’s anti-corruption watchdog and one of his colleagues said they resigned today after the country’s president asked them to quit.