HC questions ACC's inaction in probing allegation against Hasina, family

The High Court has questioned the Anti-Corruption Commission's inaction and failure to conduct an enquiry into an allegation against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members of embezzling Tk 5.0 billion from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project.
On Sunday, it issued a rule upon the ACC and other bodies concerned of the government to explain as to why the ACC's inaction and failure to conduct an inquiry into the allegations should not be declared illegal.
Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Tulip Siddique and Tarique Ahmed Siddique, power, science and tech, and home secretaries, ACC chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, Nuclear Power Plant Company, Rooppur project director and others have been made respondents to the rule.
The HC bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Bobby Hajjaj, chairman of Nationalist Democratic Movement.
On September 03, Mr Bobby filed the petition seeking a court order for the ACC to conduct an enquiry into the reported allegation against the accused.
Lawyer Shahedul Azam appeared in the hearing on behalf of the petitioner, while deputy attorney general Mahfuz Bin Yousuf represented the state and lawyer Chowdhury Nasima appeared for the ACC.
Later, lawyer Azam said, "The ACC lawyer told the court that the anti-graft body had already started its action to collect relevant documents. Hearing the ACC lawyer, the court issued only a rule."
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is Bangladesh's first nuclear power facility, and 90 per cent of the $12.65 billion contract for it is funded through a loan provided by the Russian government.
In an online report published in "Global Defense Corp" on 17 August 2024, allegations were made against Hasina, Rehana, Sajeeb, Tulip and Tarique, claiming they purportedly embezzled over $5.0 billion from the project.
The embezzlement is said to have occurred in collusion with Russian officials through the artificial inflation of the costs associated with the nuke plant, according to the petitioner.

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