ACC to seek Interpol’s assistance to bring members of Sheikh family back to Bangladesh

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has said it will move to issue arrest warrants through Interpol to bring back to Bangladesh deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and seven members of her family accused in a corruption case over land allocation.

They face charges involving the allocation of plots in the Purbachal project of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), according to bdnews24.com.

In addition to Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, sister Sheikh Rehana, nephew Radwan Mujib Siddique, nieces Tulip Siddique and Azmina Siddique Ruponti are among the accused.

The court has already permitted the issuance of an Interpol arrest warrant for Putul, and officials said appeals will be filed against the others soon.

ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain told bdnews24.com, “Within the legal framework, investigating officers have full freedom to issue red alerts, arrest warrants, or take other legal action against anyone found to be involved in an investigation.”

Six cases were filed against Hasina and her family members in January on charges of obtaining plots in the Purbachal New Town project of RAJUK through “abuse of power and irregularities”.

The anti-graft agency is also submitting charge sheets in those cases.

The Awami League’s 15-year rule ended on Aug 5, 2024, following a

mass uprising led by students and the public.

After stepping down as prime minister, Hasina fled to India, where she has remained since.

Putul currently serves as the regional director of the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) and is in India for her duties, while Joy has been living in the US for many years.

When Hasina fled to India, there were reports that her sister Rehana accompanied her, but there has been no confirmation of her current whereabouts.

Rehana’s children are British citizens—Tulip is a British MP, Ruponti also lives in London, and Radwan, who was in Dhaka before the uprising, is believed to have left the country.

Arrest warrants have been issued in multiple of the six cases filed against them.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has also issued a warrant against Hasina on charges including genocide and enforced disappearance.

Bangladesh has requested India to return Hasina under the existing extradition treaty, but there has been no official response.

Following the fall of the Awami League government, the ACC launched an investigation on Dec 26, 2024, into alleged irregularities in the allocation of six plots in the Purbachal New Town project registered in the names of Hasina and five family members.

The 0.02-hectare plots were allocated in the names of Hasina, Joy, Putul, Rehana, Bobby, and Ruponti in the area around Road No. 203 in the diplomatic zone of Sector No. 27 of the Purbachal New Town project.