Dhaka, Aug 12, 2025 — A court in Bangladesh on Monday heard testimony in multiple corruption cases against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several members of her family, including her daughter, a senior United Nations official currently on leave.
Three officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) presented testimonies in three separate cases alleging the illegal acquisition of lucrative land plots in a suburb of Dhaka.
Hasina, 77, fled Bangladesh by helicopter on August 5, 2024, after weeks of student-led protests calling for her resignation over what critics described as an increasingly autocratic rule. She is now in India and has defied repeated court orders to return, including for a separate, ongoing trial on charges of crimes against humanity related to the deadly crackdown on the protests.
The six corruption cases name Hasina, her US-based son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and her daughter Saima Wazed, who until recently served as the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia regional director in New Delhi. Saima Wazed is currently on leave, with a new officer-in-charge appointed to the role.
“If found guilty, Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and Saima Wazed could face up to 14 years in prison,” ACC lawyer Khan Mohammad Mainul Hossain told AFP.
Other family members have also been implicated in related cases scheduled to be heard later this month. They include Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, and Rehana’s children — among them British MP Tulip Siddiq. Siddiq resigned as the UK government’s anti-corruption minister in January after being named in multiple ACC probes. She has denied all allegations, with her lawyers describing the charges as unfounded.
The cases mark one of the largest anti-corruption drives in Bangladesh’s history, targeting a political dynasty that has dominated the country’s leadership for decades.
