Maverick Indian politician Laloo Prasad Yadav bounced out of jail again Wednesday after a court extended his bail in connection with a massive embezzlement case.
Yadav was taken into judicial custody Tuesday on the expiry of his original three month provisional bail.
A former chief minister of the eastern state of Bihar and husband of the present chief minister Rabri Devi, Yadav has had several trysts with the law but each time has managed to surface without much trouble.
Yadav was released Wednesday after being asked to furnish a 200,000 rupee (4,500-dollar) bail bond. His new bail term will be valid till March 31.
Yadav and his wife stand accused of embezzling four million rupees between 1990 and 1996, when he was Bihar chief minister.
Yadav, 53, installed Devi as chief minister in 1997 after he stepped down from the post over a 700-million-dollar financial scandal which has yet to be resolved.
Yadav, who leads a regional party, remains the true powerbroker in Bihar, and has accused Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government of using the Central Bureau of Investigation to try and unseat his wife's regime.
The Bihar first couple's tenure in power has been criticized for destroying the state's economy and deteriorating law and order -- PATNA (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
