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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
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
âThe theft of billions of dollars in public funds has left Bangladesh with a significant financial deficit,â Mr. Yunus said in a statement.
âThe funds stolen from Bangladesh belong to its people. We will continue to work with our international partners to ensure that justice is done,â he added.
Mr. Yunus said he expected âassets to be returnedâ, adding that the stolen funds have ânot only robbed the people of Bangladesh, but also disrupted the countryâs progress toward economic stabilityâ.
Bangladeshâs 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 ACCâs probe of Ms. Hasinaâs 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. Hasinaâs Awami League party.
âTulip Siddiq may not have fully understood the origins of the money and properties she enjoyed in London,â Mr. Yunus said.
âHowever, now that she knows, she should seek forgiveness from the people of Bangladesh,â he said.
Published – January 15, 2025 12:09 pm IST
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