In a shocking turn of events, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched an investigation into former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid and her family over corruption allegations totaling 80,000 crore taka.
According to reports, these allegations include accusations of corruption worth 5 billion dollars (59,000 crore taka) in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, with the total corruption across this and other projects estimated at 80,000 crore taka.
As per a report from Dhaka Tribune, the accused include former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajib Wajid Joy, her niece Tulip Siddiq, and other family members.
The allegations against the former Prime Minister’s family include irregularities in projects like Rooppur and Ashrayan.
Reports of corruption linked to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant were published in multiple newspapers on August 19, which were later referenced in a writ petition.
The reports cited information from the Global Defense Corporation, accusing Sheikh Hasina, Sajib Wajid Joy, and Tulip Siddiq of embezzling 5 billion dollars through a foreign bank, while Sheikh Hasina was accused of misappropriating over 5 billion dollars from the Rooppur project.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is Bangladesh’s largest and most expensive project, with an estimated cost of 12.65 billion dollars.
It is noteworthy that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned a few months ago following large public protests and fled to India. Since then, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been in power in Bangladesh.