ACC Forms Team to Probe Corruption Allegations Against Sheikh Family

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Publish : 19 Dec 2024, 08:47 AM

Photo: Collected

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has formed a five-member team to investigate corruption allegations against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece Tulip Siddiq, along with other family members.

On Wednesday, December 18, senior ACC sources confirmed that the investigation team will be led by ACC Deputy Director Md. Salahuddin. Other members of the team include Deputy Director Md. Saiduzzaman, Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya, S.M. Rashedul Hasan, and A.K.M. Murtuza Ali Sagar.

According to the ACC, the team will investigate allegations of corruption involving BDT21,000 crore across eight high-priority projects of the Awami League government. Additionally, it will look into alleged corruption of BDT59,000 crore in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project.

Earlier, on December 15, the High Court issued a ruling questioning the ACC’s inaction regarding allegations of embezzlement of USD5 billion (approximately BDT60,000 crore) from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) project through Malaysian bank accounts allegedly linked to Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece Tulip Siddiq.

The ruling followed a writ petition filed on September 3 by Bobby Hajjaj, Chairman of the Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), which challenged the ACC's inactivity in probing these allegations. The petition also questioned the legality of the ACC's inaction and named the ACC Chairman and other relevant officials as respondents.

On Tuesday, December 17, ACC Director General (Prevention) Akhtar Hossain confirmed the investigation into the allegations against Sheikh Hasina and her family members.

The allegations first came to light in reports published on August 19, citing data from Global Defense Corporation, which investigates corruption in military and defense sectors. These reports claimed that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece Tulip Siddiq embezzled USD5 billion from the RNPP project through Malaysian bank accounts.

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