HC issues rule on ACC's inaction in investigating allegations of $5b embezzlement by Hasina, family
The ACC chairman and other relevant parties have been named as respondents in the writ
The High Court has issued a ruling regarding the inaction of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in investigating allegations of a $5 billion embezzlement from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members.
The High Court bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf issued the rule today (15 December) after a preliminary hearing on a writ petition to this matter, said Barrister Sahedul Azam, representing the petitioner during the hearing.
Nationalist Democratic Movement Chairman Bobby Hajjaj filed the petition through lawyer Sahedul on 3 September 2024, seeking an investigation into the alleged embezzlement involving Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece Tulip Siddiq through a Malaysian bank.
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Media reports concerning the alleged embezzlement were attached to the writ petition. The ACC chairman and other relevant parties have been named as respondents in the writ.
According to a report published by Global Defense Corp on 17 August, Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Hasina, along with her son Joy and niece Tulip, allegedly embezzled more than $5 billion from the Rooppur project.
Several local media outlets also reported on the alleged embezzlement by the former prime minister on 19 August. These reports were also attached to the writ petition.
Rosatom, the project's implementing agency, allegedly assisted Hasina in transferring $5 billion from various Russian slush funds held in Malaysian banks to other accounts. Joy and Tulip were said to have facilitated the transactions, according to the Global Defense Corp report.
However, Russia's ambassador in Dhaka has dismissed these allegations against Hasina as baseless.
