A former Bangladesh prime minister jailed and accused of extortion was admitted to a hospital for unspecified reasons on Thursday, an official said.

John Gomes, general manager of the Square Hospital Ltd. in Dhaka, said former Premier Sheikh Hasina was driven to the hospital for treatment, but would not elaborate. Hasina’s lawyers had said earlier that she was ill but that her condition was not life-threatening.

Hasina, 60, has been kept in a special jail set up on the premises of National Parliament Building in Dhaka since July 16, pending and during her trial.

The High Court recently dismissed the case, saying it was illegal to try it under emergency rules imposed last year since the alleged crime had taken place before the emergency was declared. But Hasina’s release from jail remained uncertain because the government had appealed the ruling.

She has been accused of extorting $444,000 from a businessman in return for allowing him to build a power plant during her term in 1996-2001. Hasina and her Awami League party denied the charges, saying they were framed to prevent her from contesting the next election, expected to be held by the end of this year.

Bangladesh, a parliamentary democracy, has been run by a military-backed interim government since January 2007, when a state of emergency was declared following the deaths of about 30 people in street protests demanding electoral reforms.

The interim government has launched a crackdown on corruption.