Mon Jan 13 12:49:44 UTC 2025: ## Bangladesh Files Corruption Charges Against Ousted Leader Sheikh Hasina and Family

**DHAKA, Bangladesh (January 14, 2025)** – Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed corruption charges against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her family members, and several high-profile associates, including a British government minister and a senior UN official. The charges, announced Monday, relate to an alleged large-scale land grab in Dhaka and a separate investigation into a $5 billion embezzlement scheme connected to a Russian-funded nuclear power plant.

Among those implicated are Hasina’s niece, British Anti-Corruption Minister Tulip Siddiq, and her daughter, Saima Wazed, a senior official with the World Health Organization. Also named are Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and Siddiq’s mother. Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 following a revolution, has so far defied extradition requests.

The land grab allegations involve the allocation of lucrative plots in a Dhaka suburb to Hasina and her family members. ACC director general Akhter Hossain stated that sufficient evidence has been gathered to proceed with the cases. The investigation into the Rooppur nuclear power plant alleges kickbacks totaling $5 billion from the $12.65 billion project, largely financed by a Russian loan.

Minister Siddiq has referred herself to the standards adviser of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer following reports in the British press linking her to properties connected to Hasina’s administration. She denies any wrongdoing. No immediate response was available from Saima Wazed. The ACC intends to further investigate and expand on the details of the alleged offenses.

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