The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has decided to investigate the corruption of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, sister Sheikh Rehana and her daughter Tulip Siddiqui on charges of corruption of Tk. 80,000 crore in nine special priority projects by the ousted Awami League government.
A senior ACC official confirmed this information on Tuesday (December 17).
ACC sources said that the corruption took place in nine projects including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project, Special Asryan Project, Bangladesh Economic Zone (BEZA), Bangladesh Export Processing Zone (BEPZA).
Earlier, on December 15, the High Court issued a rule asking why the ACC's inaction in investigating the allegations of embezzlement of 5 billion dollars or 500 crore dollars from the country's largest and most expensive project, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, through a Malaysian bank.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf issued the rule.
Barrister Shahedul Azam Tamal heard the writ petition in court.
Earlier, a writ petition was filed in the High Court seeking directions to investigate allegations of embezzlement of 5 billion dollars (Tk. 60,000 crore in Bangladeshi currency) from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) through a Malaysian bank by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and her niece Tulip Siddique, who were ousted in the student uprising on August 5.
National Democratic Movement-NDM Chairman Bobby Hajjaj filed the writ petition. Barrister Shahedul Azam is the lawyer for the writ petition.
The writ petition challenges the inaction in the investigation of the allegations. The Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, the Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the ACC Chairman, Sheikh Hasina, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Tulip Siddique and Tareq Ahmed Siddique and 14 other people have been made respondents.
Earlier, reports were published in the media on the matter. On August 19, reports were published in various newspapers about the corruption of Sheikh Hasina's family in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. The writ was filed in the High Court along with that report.
The report said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in the student-public uprising, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and niece Tulip Siddique embezzled 5 billion dollars (Tk. 60000 crore in Bangladeshi currency) from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) through a Malaysian bank.
The Global Defense Corp report titled ‘Ousted Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Her Son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Niece Tulip Siddique Embezzled 5 Billion Dollars from Overpriced 12.65 Billion Dollars from Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Through Malaysian Banks’ said that the project implementing agency, Russia’s Rosatom, facilitated Sheikh Hasina’s embezzlement of the money through Malaysian banks. Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and niece Tulip Siddique mediated in this.