Dhaka, January 13, 2025 – Bangladesh’s anti-graft commission has filed cases against ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her family, including a British government minister and a senior UN official, its chief said on January 13.
Ms. Hasina, 77, fled a revolution in August 2024 to neighboring India, where she has defied extradition requests from Bangladesh to face charges including mass murder. The cases are linked to an alleged large-scale land grab of lucrative plots in a suburb of the densely populated capital Dhaka.
“Sheikh Hasina, in collaboration with some officials, allocated plots for herself and her family members,” Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director-general Akhter Hossain told reporters.
Mr. Hossain said those named in the case also include Ms. Hasina’s niece, British anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq, who has insisted she has done nothing wrong. Ms. Hasina’s daughter, Ms. Saima Wazed, the World Health Organisation’s South-east Asia chief, is also listed. There was no immediate response from Ms. Wazed.
“The ACC investigation team has obtained the necessary documents and found sufficient evidence to file the cases,” Mr. Hossain stated.