Reuters, DHAKA - The son of a former finance minister was sentenced to 13 years in jail on Monday for acquiring wealth illegally while another politician's son was handed 17 years for illegal possession of firearms.

Separately, an anti-graft commission filed charges of corruption against Tareque Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, his wife and mother-in-law, officials said. Both Khaleda and Tareque are under detention.

The sentences by special courts investigating corruption and abuse of power are the latest in a drive launched by the country's army-backed interim administration to clean up politics before elections expected later this year.

"The courts found Naser Rahman and Akhtar Hamid guilty of amassing wealth illegally and keeping arms respectively and sentenced them to different jail terms," Zulfiquar Ali, a lawyer in the prosecution office, said.

Naser Rahman, who is himself a former lawmaker, is the son of ex-finance minister Saifur Rahman while Khandakar Akhtar Hamid is the son of senior lawmaker Khandakar Delwar Hossain.

Saifur and Delwar both belong to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) headed by Khaleda Zia who is herself facing corruption charges. Khaleda ended her five-year term in office in October 2006, months before the interim government took charge in the wake of protracted political violence.

More than 170 political figures and bureaucrats have been detained in the crackdown launched by the government and are awaiting trial on charges ranging from graft to extortion. The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday filed charges against Tareque Rahman, elder son of Khaleda, of amassing wealth worth 27.5 million taka ($400,100) illegally.

Tareque's wife and his mother-in-law were also charged with assisting him in accumulating the wealth. "The charges were filed at the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate," a spokesman of the ACC told reporters.

Tareque was arrested in March 2007 for alleged corruption and abuse of power. His younger brother Arafat Rahman, a businessman, was arrested along with his mother, Khaleda, in September last year. Together they have been charged in another graft case and are awaiting trial.