DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission presented court testimonies on Wednesday alleging power abuses by ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family, including British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq.
Three ACC officials detailed accusations in separate cases involving the alleged illegal acquisition of valuable land plots near Dhaka.
Siddiq, who resigned as Britain’s anti-corruption minister in January after being implicated in Bangladesh’s graft investigations, dismissed the proceedings as “persecution and a farce” and remains abroad.
ACC lawyer Khan Mohammad Mainul countered Siddiq’s claims, stating “We have obtained all the necessary documents, including her correspondence in this matter.”
The new cases follow three corruption charges filed on Monday, all naming 77-year-old Hasina as a defendant.
Hasina’s government faced widespread allegations of human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings of political rivals.
She fled Bangladesh by helicopter on 5 August 2024 following prolonged student protests against her authoritarian leadership.
The former leader has refused to return from India despite summons to face separate charges of crimes against humanity related to suppressing the uprising.
Bangladesh’s 170 million citizens continue facing political instability since the revolt that toppled Hasina’s government.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel laureate serving as chief adviser, has pledged to resign after February’s elections. – AFP
