Bangladesh Files Corruption Cases Against Sheikh Hasina’s Ousted Family

The head of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh announced on Monday that the commission had initiated legal action against the deposed leader, Sheikh Hasina, and her relatives, including a British government minister and a senior official from the United Nations.

Hasina, who is 77 years old, escaped a revolution in August 2024, taking refuge in India, where she has resisted extradition demands from Bangladesh to confront charges that include mass murder.The cases are associated with an alleged extensive land acquisition of valuable plots in a suburb of Dhaka’s heavily populated capital.

Akhter Hossain, the director general of the ACC, informed journalists that “Sheikh Hasina, in collusion with certain officials, assigned plots to herself and her family members.”Hossain noted that those implicated in the case also comprise Hasina’s niece, British anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq, who has maintained her innocence. Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wazed, who leads the World Health Organization’s South East Asia division, has also been mentioned.Wazed has not yet responded.

“The ACC’s investigative team has gathered the necessary documents and uncovered enough evidence to proceed with the cases,” Hossain revealed to AFP. “The cases will incorporate relevant information, including property acquisitions, as further inquiries continue.”

Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, is also among those named, as is Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, who is Siddiq’s mother.This month, Siddiq has referred herself to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s standards adviser, a step taken following reports by British newspapers The Sunday Times and Financial Times that indicated she had resided in properties associated with Hasina’s government.Additionally, the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh began an investigation in December regarding the alleged embezzlement of $5 billion by Hasina’s family linked to a Russian-financed nuclear power plant. The allegations of kickbacks pertain to the Rooppur nuclear facility, which Moscow financed primarily through a 90 percent loan.