[🇧🇩] Everything about Hasina's misrule/Laundered Money etc.

[Saif]

CA’s Press Secretary describes Hasina as 'butcher of Bangladesh'

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has described former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the “butcher of Bangladesh” and said the interim government’s job is to bring her back to Dhaka and try her for “crimes against humanity.” “One of the main r

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

CA’s Press Secretary describes Hasina as 'butcher of Bangladesh'
FE Online Desk
Published :
Feb 02, 2025 20:52
Updated :
Feb 02, 2025 20:52

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has described former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the “butcher of Bangladesh” and said the interim government’s job is to bring her back to Dhaka and try her for “crimes against humanity.”

“One of the main responsibilities of the interim government is to hold trials of the people who killed protesters during the mass uprising in July,” said Alam on Sunday, mentioning that there has been much hue and cry about his Facebook post from the Ekushey Boi Mela, UNB reports.

While sharing 12 points, the Press Secretary said the interim government is neutral only to its stakeholders - the students and the parties that played their part not only during the uprising but over the years to restore “stolen democracy.”

Naturally, Alam said, the interim government has a firm and unyielding position against the party that imposed “brutal dictatorship, committed grave crimes against humanity and plundered state resources” for 15 long years.

In a long post from his verified Facebook account, he said the interim government is also determined to hold the Bangladesh Awami League, its “enablers, apologists and its lackeys” to account for the massacres, the “thousands of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and the looting” of hundreds of billions of dollars. “Our mandate is to prosecute these crimes,” Alam stressed.

“When we talk — as the spokespeople of the chief adviser -- we generally give updates on the IG's progress and accomplishments. We also talk at length about the crimes of Sheikh Hasina,” said the Press Secretary.

Alam said the people who think he is talking too much about politics or the Awami League and its killings and grand larceny are the AL apologists – “We know what you did all these years. Sorry, I won't stop — until the very last day of my work.”

Alam said Sheikh Hasina is one of the world's most “brutal and corrupt dictators” and he will not hesitate to remind people about the “kind of killer she was”.

“It is a moral position. Besides, if we believe in democracy, we must be able to speak against Hasina for all we want — this is the individual liberty that we speak of in democracy, this is freedom of speech,” he mentioned.

Six months into the mass uprising, Alam said, the AL is still in “denial” and its apologists, leaders, pro-AL journalists, its foreign backers and its supporters are in denial. “They aim to create an alternative history - one in which they are the victims, police are not the aggressors.”​

 

[Saif]

Britain's FBI launches probe against ex-City minister Tulip Siddiq over corruption

Britain's FBI is probing ex-City minister Tulip Siddiq after travelling to Dhaka for a secret summit with investigators associated with the Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, the Daily Mail reports. Detectives from the National Crime Agency were told at last month's meeting that the ACC authoriti

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Britain's FBI launches probe against ex-City minister Tulip Siddiq over corruption
bdnews24.com
Published :
Feb 02, 2025 23:57
Updated :
Feb 02, 2025 23:57

Britain's FBI is probing ex-City minister Tulip Siddiq after travelling to Dhaka for a secret summit with investigators associated with the Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, the Daily Mail reports.

Detectives from the National Crime Agency were told at last month's meeting that the ACC authorities have amassed new evidence against the Labour MP as they investigate her over a controversial nuclear power plant deal.

The revelation raises the prospect of the British authorities looking into Tulip's bank accounts, email records, and even summoning her for an interview, the report published on Saturday said.

The former UK treasury minister and four family members–including her mother Sheikh Rehana–are being probed over claims that they embezzled £3.9 billion from the Rooppur nuclear power plant, which was built by the Russian state-owned company Rosatom with a 90 per cent loan from the Kremlin.

Tulip was pictured alongside Vladimir Putin at the signing of the deal in 2013.

Citing official sources in Bangladesh, the Daily Mail said the NCA team had offered to investigate Tulip in Britain to “bring about a prosecution” by the Bangladeshi authorities through an international agreement.

On Friday night, the sources said the NCA may also be trying to gather evidence to bring a prosecution against the Hampstead and Highgate MP in the UK, the report read.

British nationals who are found to have received money abroad as bribes can be prosecuted in the UK under the Bribery Act 2010, and jailed for up to ten years.

Bangladeshi officials, who spoke anonymously, said the NCA had requested the meeting, set up by the British High Commission in Dhaka, the Mail said.

It is the second visit the agency has made to Bangladesh since Tulip’s aunt, Sheikh Hasina, 77, was ousted as prime minister in August after weeks of violent protests.

During its first visit in October, the NCA had offered assistance to the interim government in its efforts to recover the stolen billions that were suspected of being siphoned off by Hasina's allies to countries like Britain, the report added.

However, the three-strong NCA delegation also asked specific questions about Tulip during the meeting.

Tulip resigned as UK minister last month, weeks after the Daily Mail exclusively revealed that she was being investigated over the power plant deal.

Days later, it emerged that Tulip received a two-bedroom flat in London's King's Cross area as a gift from a British property developer linked to her aunt.

The Mail on Sunday then revealed how she had lied to this newspaper in 2022 when it asked her if the flat was a gift.

Tulip denied the claims, saying her parents bought the flat for her, and threatened to sue, the Daily Mail said.

The ACC is conducting at least two other criminal investigations against Tulip and her family. She denies the allegations against her, according to the report.

Labour said: “Absolutely no evidence has been presented for these allegations. Tulip Siddiq has not been contacted on these matters and totally refutes the claims.”

A Labour source said no one from the NCA or the Bangladeshi authorities has contacted her yet, the report added.​

 

[Saif]

UK's National Crime Agency assisting Bangladesh in Tulip Siddiq corruption probe

Some UK officers travelled to Dhaka to assist local authorities investigating claims that Tulip, a former Treasury official, benefitted from a disputed nuclear power plant deal. She is accused of using her aunt Sheikh Hasina's influence who was the then prime minister of Bangladesh

www.thedailystar.net

UK's National Crime Agency assisting Bangladesh in Tulip Siddiq corruption probe
Says The Telegraph

Photo: Facebook/Tulip Siddiq

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) is supporting investigators in Bangladesh as they probe corruption allegations against Tulip Siddiq, according to The Telegraph.

Some UK officers travelled to Dhaka to assist local authorities investigating claims that Tulip, a former Treasury official, benefitted from a disputed nuclear power plant deal. She is accused of using her aunt Sheikh Hasina's influence who was the then prime minister of Bangladesh.

Last month, Siddiq stepped down from her leadership role in the Labour Party after an ethics adviser found that she had accidentally provided false information about the scandal. Siddiq, whose role as Treasury minister included combatting corruption, had referred herself after questions arose regarding her use of properties in London linked to her aunt's political party.

The Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating Siddiq, Hasina, and other family members for alleged embezzlement of £3.9 billion connected to a Russian-funded nuclear power plant.

British police involvement in the probe emerged after the NCA visited in October last year to help the Bangladeshi government recover billions allegedly siphoned off by Hasina and her allies.

Officers have reportedly offered to assist in hopes of "bringing about a prosecution" in Bangladesh.

Sources told The Mail on Sunday that the meeting raises the possibility of evidence being gathered against Siddiq for a potential criminal case in the UK. During meetings, the NCA team asked questions about Siddiq specifically. Siddiq denies any wrongdoing.

The NCA, responsible for investigating international bribery and corruption linked to the UK, can look into individuals suspected of money laundering in the UK from political corruption abroad and allegations of bribery and corruption against UK nationals.

Sheikh Hasina, 77, is now in India after being ousted last August following violent protests. During her tenure, opponents faced attacks, arrests, and extrajudicial killings. She and her allies are accused of looting billions from the country.

Since her fall, Bangladesh's anti-money laundering agency has requested information on Siddiq's accounts and transactions in the country from major banks. An official notice has also requested the financial records of Siddiq and six family members, including her mother, sister, and brother.

A spokesman for Siddiq said, "Absolutely no evidence has been presented for these allegations. Tulip Siddiq has not been contacted on these matters and totally refutes the claims."

An NCA spokesman stated, "We do not routinely comment on the nature of international assistance, nor confirm or deny if the agency has opened an investigation or is supporting a partner's investigation."

A senior anti-corruption commission official told The Telegraph, "The investigation into Tulip Siddiq is still at a preliminary stage, but we are actively examining multiple angles. Our focus is on uncovering any links between her and the acquisition of properties through illicit means in Bangladesh, her associations with corrupt businessmen, and potential connections to money laundered out of Bangladesh."

Ahsan Mansur, governor of the central bank of Bangladesh, said, "We greatly appreciate the support of the British Government and international investigative agencies in our efforts to trace the billions of dollars laundered from Bangladesh to the UK and beyond."

"Recovering these funds is a top priority for us, and we are counting on global cooperation to bring this money back where it belongs. We have already begun reaching out to various governments and global agencies to tackle this issue head-on."

"The UK has been cooperating with us in this effort, and our next step is to identify the properties and bank accounts where the laundered money has been stashed across different countries, including the United Kingdom. We are committed to taking decisive action to reclaim these funds and hold those responsible to account."​

 

[Saif]

Begum para: Yunus seeks Canada’s help to recover stolen money

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus yesterday requested Canada’s assistance in recovering funds that were smuggled out of Bangladesh and invested in the North American country, specifically in the upscale Bangladeshi neighbourhood “Begum Para” of Toronto.

www.thedailystar.net

Begum para: Yunus seeks Canada’s help to recover stolen money

Photo: UNB

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus yesterday requested Canada's assistance in recovering funds that were smuggled out of Bangladesh and invested in the North American country, specifically in the upscale Bangladeshi neighbourhood "Begum Para" of Toronto.

"They stole money from our people and bought assets in Begum Para. We need your help to recover the assets. It is the money of our people," Yunus told Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ajit Singh during a meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna.

The chief adviser said hundreds of billions of dollars were stolen from Bangladesh by oligarchs, cronies, and politicians connected to Sheikh Hasina's dictatorship, and part of it was laundered to Canada, including in buying assets in Toronto's infamous "Begum Para" neighbourhood.

He sought help to identify, freeze and recover the assets during his meeting with the Canadian High Commissioner.

The Canadian High Commissioner appreciated the efforts of the Prof Yunus-led interim government to bring the stolen money back.

He assured Canada's support for the asset recovery efforts, noting that Canada has a "mechanism" to freeze siphoned-off money for recovery from persons identified by the interim government to the government of Canada.

The Canadian High Commissioner also offered the country's support to the interim government's reform initiatives in its transition to democracy. "We support the great thing you are doing. We appreciate the progress that has been made. We are keen to know what we can do," Ajit Singh said.

He said Canada was keen to expand trade with Bangladesh and invest more in the country. A Canadian minister would visit Bangladesh soon to discuss issues of mutual interest, he added.

In response, Prof Yunus said, "Bangladesh is ready for business. We want to expand trade with your country, and we want Canadian companies to relocate their factories to Bangladesh."

The chief adviser said many Bangladeshi people now live and study in Canada, and Ottawa should make a move to set up its visa office in Dhaka.​

 

[Saif]

ACC finds Tk 352 million in FDR under CRI’s name

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has announced the discovery of a fixed deposit receipt (FDR) account valued at approximately Tk 352.1 million in the name of the Centre for Research and Information (CRI) the Awami League’s research wing. ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain told report

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

ACC finds Tk 352 million in FDR under CRI’s name
bdnews24.com
Published :
Feb 04, 2025 20:08
Updated :
Feb 04, 2025 20:08

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has announced the discovery of a fixed deposit receipt (FDR) account valued at approximately Tk 352.1 million in the name of the Centre for Research and Information (CRI) the Awami League’s research wing.

ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain told reporters on Tuesday that an FDR worth Tk 352.1 million has been found under the name of CRI at IFIC Bank.

Further transaction records were obtained from Sonali Bank.

He added that the commission’s enforcement team will conduct a detailed review of all documents and bank statements gathered during the investigation.

Awami League chief and deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy chairs CRI’s board of trustees.

Her daughter Saima Wazed Putul serves as its vice-chair, while Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby is also a trustee.

According to ACC officials, they received allegations that CRI’s board of trustees had facilitated certain “political agendas,” resulting in “losses to state funds”.

Investigators then visited CRI’s Dhanmondi office, but found it closed.

In the course of their inquiry, they also collected account information from Dutch-Bangla Bank, IFIC Bank, and Sonali Bank.

ACC Assistant Director Raju Ahmed, who led the operation, explained that the investigation seeks to determine whether state funds were used for proper institutional purposes or diverted in a way that harmed public finances.

On Sept 30 last year, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, or BFIU, ordered the freezing of accounts belonging to CRI, its Young Bangla project, and the personal accounts of Joy, Putul, and Bobby.

Joy previously served as an unpaid ICT advisor to prime minister Hasina and currently resides in the United States.

Putul, an autism specialist, has been the World Health Organization’s Regional Director since Feb 1 and is based in New Delhi.

Bobby, though not officially affiliated with the Awami League government, has engaged in youth empowerment initiatives through Young Bangla.

The bank accounts of former state minister for power, energy, and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu — once a CRI trustee — were also frozen.

After the Awami League government was overthrown in popular protests, numerous legal cases were filed naming Hasina, Joy, Putul, Bobby, and Bipu as defendants.​

 

[Saif]

Hasina, Rehana, relatives own 4 bungalows in Gazipur

Hasina, Rehana, relatives own 4 bungalows in Gazipur

At least four bungalows have been traced in Gazipur that are owned by family members and relatives of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana

en.prothomalo.com

 

[Saif]

MONEY LAUNDERING: Ex-Basic Bank chair Bacchu sued again

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday filed another four cases against former Basic Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu and his family members, accusing them of amassing illegal wealth amounting to Tk 248 crore and laundering money to Canada...

www.newagebd.net

MONEY LAUNDERING: Ex-Basic Bank chair Bacchu sued again
Staff Correspondent 10 February, 2025, 00:10

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday filed another four cases against former Basic Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu and his family members, accusing them of amassing illegal wealth amounting to Tk 248 crore and laundering money to Canada.

The cases were filed with the ACC›s integrated district office in Dhaka-1, following the commission›s approval, ACC spokesperson and director general (prevention) Md Aktar Hossain said.

The development came only six days after a special judge’s court in Dhaka ordered further investigation in 14 out of 59 cases filed against Bacchu and others in 2015 over embezzlement and laundering money from Basic Bank.

None of Bacchu, also a former Jatiya Party lawmaker for the Bagerhat-1 constituency, and his family members, however, is yet to be arrested though a number of special judge’s courts in Dhaka issued arrest warrants against them.

The ACC submitted charge sheets in all the 59 cases in June 2023.

Of the cases, only one is at the trial stage, and 58 are at the stage of hearing on charge framing.

In the first case filed on Sunday, Bacchu is accused of amassing illegal assets worth Tk 124.93 crore, concealing information, and laundering Tk 56.57 crore to Canada.

The charges state that Bacchu obtained the wealth by providing loans to 58 fake entities through fraudulent activities and violating banking rules.

The second case was filed on the day against Bacchu and his wife Shirin Aktar, who is alleged to have accumulated Tk 36.51 crore beyond known sources of income with the help of her husband.

In the third case, Bacchu and his son, Sheikh Sabid Hay Anik, are accused of amassing Tk 43.62 crore illegally. Anik is also accused of laundering Tk 87.62 lakh to Canada.

The fourth case on Sunday involves Bacchu›s daughter, Sheikh Rafa Hye, who is accused of amassing Tk 40.41 crore illegally with her father’s assistance. Rafa Hye is also alleged to have laundered Tk 74.81 lakh to Canada.

In 2015, the ACC had filed 59 cases on charges of embezzling Tk 2,265 crore from BASIC Bank.

It, however, refrained from accusing the bank’s the then chairman Bacchu in these cases though he was allegedly the mastermind behind the whole financial scam.

In June 2023, the ACC submitted charge sheets in these cases, accusing Bacchu in 58 out of the 59 cases filed over the loan scam.

Besides Bacchu, the bank’s 46 officials and 101 customers were also made accused in the graft cases.

The ACC also filed another case in October 2023, accusing Bacchu and five others of corruption and money laundering in the purchase of land in the capital›s Cantonment Bazar area.​

 

[Saif]

MONEY LAUNDERING: ACC seeks info from 12 countries on Tulip’s allegations

The Anti-Corruption Commission has sent letters to 12 countries, seeking information about individuals, including former United Kingdom’s city minister Tulip Siddiq, who were allegedly involved in money laundering...

www.newagebd.net

MONEY LAUNDERING: ACC seeks info from 12 countries on Tulip’s allegations
Staff Correspondent 10 February, 2025, 00:14

Tulip Siddiq.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has sent letters to 12 countries, seeking information about individuals, including former United Kingdom’s city minister Tulip Siddiq, who were allegedly involved in money laundering.

Tulip is a niece of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and a daughter of Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana.

ACC director general (prevention) Aktar Hossain came up with the information on sending letters in response to a question at a press briefing at the commission’s Segun Bagicha headquarters in the capital Dhaka on Sunday.

He stated that an inquiry into Tulip’s alleged involvement in corruption was currently underway, and information had been sought from relevant countries.

He also mentioned that the ACC has sought information about the other individuals involved in alleged money laundering.

According to ACC officials, a total of 71 letters have been sent to 12 countries to trace and recover funds laundered abroad. The ACC has already received responses to 27 of these letters, signalling progress in the probe investigation.

Meanwhile, Tulip was listed as a resident of a luxury 10-storey tower block in the Bangladeshi capital named after her family, The Telegraph revealed.

Officials in Dhaka believe the former anti-corruption minister’s ‘permanent address’ was the upmarket apartment complex named ‘Siddiques’ in 2014, while she was a councillor in Camden, north London.

The property at Gulshan, home to embassies and major businesses, is the fifth in Bangladesh to be linked to Tulip, either through court papers or news reports.

Labour party sources say she does not own any properties in Bangladesh and does not need to answer questions on addresses that do not belong to her, the report said.

Nearly a month after she resigned as city minister, Tulip is still facing questions over her property affairs and links to her aunt Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian regime in Bangladesh.

She was forced to resign from the front bench after Sir Laurie Magnus, the UK prime minister’s ethics adviser, found that she had inadvertently misled the public over a flat gifted to her by a man linked to the Awami League party led by Sheikh Hasina.

The 10-storey apartment block in the upmarket Gulshan area of the capital Dhaka was built in the 2010s and according to a promotional video is home to a roof terrace and two and three-bedroom properties with balconies.

It is unclear if the building is named after Tulip Siddiq’s father Shafique Ahmed Siddique, her grandfather or the family in general.

In addition to the property named after family members, Tulip has been linked to another address at Gulshan and her aunt’s house at Dhanmondi in court papers.

The latter was set on fire and ransacked by angry protesters this week in response to a speech by Sheikh Hasina.

Tulip also previously owned a flat in Dhaka with another family member worth more than £1,00,000 which was sold in 2015 according to Parliament’s Register of Interests.

The ACC is also investigating claims Tulip was involved in the £4 billion embezzlement of funds from a nuclear power plant deal with Russia and claims she used her influence to help illegally allocate land for her family in the country’s capital.

The Telegraph in another report revealed that Bangladesh was investigating a luxury rural retreat with Tulip Siddiq’s name at its entrance.

The sprawling estate featuring signs for Tulip’s Territory is being examined by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission amid claims of land grabbing over the plot in the village of Kanaiya.

According to official records, the wider plot includes eight bighas (3.3 acres) owned by her father, but local accounts suggest the walled-off area is much larger.

The estate, which includes a pink duplex with a roof terrace, tin houses, palm trees and a pond with wooden boats now shows signs of vandalism and fire damage.​