The Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday decided to carry out an inquiry against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members over allegations of corruption worth Tk 80,000 crore accumulated from various development projects.
Apart from Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and her niece British MP Tulip Siddiq are also facing the graft allegations.
The decision came at a meeting held at the commission headquarters in Dhaka city presided over by newly appointed chairman of the agency Md Abdul Momen, said its director general Aktar Hossain.
ACC officials said that the corruptions occurred in nine development projects, including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project, Special Shelter Project, Bangladesh Economic Zone projects, and Bangladesh Export Processing Zone projects.
Officials said that the commission received allegations of corruption worth Tk 59,000 crore in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project against the suspects.
Other allegations involve corruption worth Tk 21,000 crore in eight other projects initiated by the Awami League government during its tenure.
Earlier on December 15, the High Court issued a rule questioning the ACC and government authorities over their inaction in investigating corruption allegations against Sheikh Hasina, her family members, and her former defence and security adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique.
The allegations, involving the embezzlement of $5 billion from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, were raised in a public interest litigation writ petition filed in September by Bobby Hajjaj, founder and chairman of the Nationalist Democratic Movement.
The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf sought explanations from the Anti-Corruption Commission chairman and relevant government officials, asking why their inaction should not be declared illegal.
According to a report published on August 17, 2024, by the Global Defense Corp, Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Rehana’s daughter and British lawmaker Tulip Siddique, and Tarique Ahmed Siddique siphoning off $5 billion from the nuclear power project.
The article alleged that Tulip Siddique played a crucial role in coordinating with Russian officials, enabling inflated costs of the Rooppur project.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is a joint venture between Bangladesh and Russia, primarily funded by Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned atomic energy corporation. Rosatom has committed to financing 90 per cent of the $12.65 billion total project cost.
The writ petition laid importance on investigating the claims, citing the project’s massive financial investment and critical role in the country’s energy sector.
It alleged collusion with Russian officials, resulting in cost escalation and potential misuse of funds.
