DHAKA, Banglades
Bangladesh’s primary anti-corruption agency approved charge sheets on Monday against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members for allegedly misusing power to allocate residential plots in an upscale area of the capital, Dhaka.
Hasina has been in exile in India since her 15-year rule was brought to an end by a popular uprising last August.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) approved the charge sheets in eight cases against a total of 23 individuals after uncovering evidence of irregularities in the allocation of plots in Purbachal, an eastern part of Dhaka.
This marks the first charge approved against Hasina following the political shift in the country. The process of submitting the charges to the court is currently underway after approval from the ACC headquarters.
The charge sheet names Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed, younger sister Sheikh Rehana, as well as Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq, daughter and British MP Tulip Siddiq, and Tulip’s daughter Azmina Siddiq, for violating existing regulations.
UK Minister Tulip Siddiq had earlier resigned from her position as treasury minister following growing criticism after being named in Bangladesh’s corruption probe.
In December, the ACC launched an investigation into allegations that $300 million was smuggled abroad by Hasina and her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. A five-member team was also formed to examine claims of corruption amounting to Tk 800 billion (approximately $6.6 billion) in various projects linked to Hasina and Sheikh Rehana’s family.
Additionally, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal had earlier issued two arrest warrants against Hasina over charges of mass killings and forced disappearances.
A fact-finding report by the UN High Commission for Human Rights earlier this month stated that around 1,400 people were killed, including children, during mass protests last July and August, allegedly at the hands of law enforcement.
The UN has also raised allegations of crimes against humanity against Hasina and her Awami League party.