Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus stated that funds stolen from Bangladesh belong to its people and will continue working with international partners for justice. File
| Photo Credit: AP
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) demanded the return of stolen assets, decrying the scale of corruption under the ousted government of Sheikh Hasina, toppled by a revolution last year.
Ms. Hasina (77) fled a revolution in August 2024 to India, where she has defied extradition requests from Bangladesh to face charges including mass murder.
Also read: Ground zero | The making of the Bangladesh revolt
“The theft of billions of dollars in public funds has left Bangladesh with a significant financial deficit,” Mr. Yunus said in a statement.
“The funds stolen from Bangladesh belong to its people. We will continue to work with our international partners to ensure that justice is done,” he added.
Mr. Yunus said he expected “assets to be returned”, adding that the stolen funds have “not only robbed the people of Bangladesh, but also disrupted the country’s progress toward economic stability”.
Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating Hasina and her wider family, including her niece, British lawmaker and anti-corruption Minister Tulip Siddiq.
Ms. Siddiq on Tuesday resigned (January 14, 2025) from her position, but repeated her denial that she had done anything wrong.
The ACC’s probe of Ms. Hasina’s family is linked to the embezzlement of $5 billion connected to a Russian-funded nuclear power plant, as well as an alleged land grab of lucrative plots in a suburb of the capital Dhaka.
ABritish Sunday Times investigation revealed details about the claims Ms. Siddiq spent years living in a London flat bought by an offshore company connected to two Bangladeshi businessmen.
The flat was eventually transferred as a gift to a Bangladeshi lawyer with links to Ms. Hasina, her family and her ousted government, according to the newspaper.
It also reported Ms. Siddiq and her family were given or used several other London properties bought by members or associates of Ms. Hasina’s Awami League party.
“Tulip Siddiq may not have fully understood the origins of the money and properties she enjoyed in London,” Mr. Yunus said.
“However, now that she knows, she should seek forgiveness from the people of Bangladesh,” he said.
Published – January 15, 2025 12:09 pm IST
