Bangladesh: Hasina, family members reject ‘malicious and politically motivated’ charge

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Dhaka: Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members on Friday rejected the corruption charges against them, calling the claims “malicious, politically motivated and without any proper foundation”.

The remarks came after a Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced Hasina to 21 years of imprisonment in three corruption cases filed by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over the irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal New City Project. Additionally, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul were also reportedly sentenced to five years each in prison in one of the three cases.

“We firmly deny all allegations of corruption, with each charge brought against us tainted by the political motivations of our opponents. The ACC is under the control of an unelected government, armed with slanted and partial evidence and which prevented any opportunity to defend ourselves,” read a statement issued by Hasina and her family members, which was posted on Awami League’s social media platform on Friday afternoon, Dhaka time.

Slamming the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, they said, “These allegations are obviously malicious, politically motivated and without any proper foundation, but what is even more disappointing is that the interim Government is trying to implicate and involve innocent family members who are not in any way involved in politics”.

According to the statement, the interim government has repeatedly undermined Bangladesh’s institutions, imposing an unconstitutional ban that disenfranchises millions of ordinary Bangladeshis.

“The ACC would be better employed investigating the ongoing cronyism and widespread corruption by those currently holding power. Until Bangladesh has a government that is elected with the consent of the people, and endowed with the authority to maintain our institutions, our country’s pattern of corruption will not be resolved,” it added.

Earlier on Thursday, the Awami League strongly condemned the “baseless and fabricated corruption case” against Hasina and her family members, which it said was designed to malign them.

“There is no rule of law in Bangladesh. There is no justice in the courts. The courts have become tools to protect the interests of the illegal regime and to serve their political motives. Today’s judiciary is not only subservient, it is run by loyal servants who have mortgaged their conscience. This is why the court dismissed the 6.66 billion taka tax-evasion corruption case against the usurper Yunus with a stroke of the pen. But it has now fabricated baseless accusations regarding a legally purchased plot in an attempt to defame members of the Bangabandhu family,” the party stated.

–IANS