DHAKA: A court in Bangladesh on Monday heard cases brought by the anti-corruption organisation against ex-leader Sheikh Hasina and her family, including her daughter who has served as a top UN official.

Three officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) read out testimonies in three separate cases over an alleged land grab of lucrative plots in a suburb of the capital Dhaka.

Hasina, 77, fled Bangladesh by helicopter on Aug 5, 2024, after weeks of student-led protests against her autocratic rule.

She has defied orders to return from India, including to attend her separate and ongoing trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity, over the deadly crackdown on the uprising.

Hasina has been named in six corruption cases, along with her US-based son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and her daughter Saima Wazed, who has been serving as the World Health Organisation’s Southeast Asia chief in New Delhi.

“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 saod. Wazed is on leave from the WHO and a new official has taken up a post as “officer-in-charge”.

In total, six cases have been filed of alleged corruption connected to Hasina.

Among those named in other cases, some slated to be heard later in August, are Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, and her children — including British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq.

Tulip Siddiq resigned as the UK government’s anti-corruption minister in January, denying any wrongdoing after being named in multiple probes in Bangladesh. Siddiq’s lawyers have said the allegations against her are false.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2025