India, June 28 -- Almost two years after she was driven out of her country and sought refuge in India, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina adopted a defiant tone on her return, saying she would go back "this year".

In an interview with NDTV, Hasina alleged that the verdict against her was an attempt to make her party, the Awami League, "leaderless" but she said such attempts will not succeed.

"The verdict against me is not justice. It is part of an illegal, unconstitutional, and politically motivated process. The judiciary has been turned into an instrument of political revenge to make the Awami League leaderless. Such attempts have been made before. They failed then, and they will fail again," she said in the interview.

Has...