- Bangladesh writes a letter to India requesting Hasina's extradition.
- Hasina had left for India in August after the overthrow of her government.
- The former chief minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy is also under investigation.
DHAKA: Bangladesh has told neighbor India that it wants former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to New Delhi in August, to return to the country for a “judicial process,” the country's acting foreign ministry chief said on Monday. .
“We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that the Bangladesh government wants her (Hasina) to return here for judicial proceedings,” Touhid Hossain told reporters, referring to diplomatic correspondence between the two countries.
India's foreign ministry and Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Along with Hasina, the subjects of the investigation include her son, Joy, and her niece, Tulip Siddiq, a British lawmaker and government minister.
The allegations arose from a court order requesting an investigation filed in the high court by Hasina's political opponent, Bobby Hajjaj, president of the Nationalist Democratic Movement party.
“We seek justice through our court,” Hajjaj said. AFP on Mondays.
The key allegations relate to the financing of the $12.65 billion Rooppur nuclear plant, the South Asian country's first, which is financed by Moscow with a 90% loan.
A statement on Monday from the commission said it had launched an investigation into allegations that Hasina and members of her family had “embezzled $5 billion” from the Rooppur plant through “several offshore bank accounts in Malaysia.”
It said its investigations were examining “questionable procurement practices related to the overpriced construction” of the plant.
“Allegations of bribery, mismanagement, money laundering and possible abuse of power raise significant concerns about the integrity of the project and the use of public funds,” the commission said.
The corruption allegations also include the theft of a government construction plan for homeless people.
Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter to exile in India on August 5, angering many Bangladeshis who decided she would face trial for alleged “mass murder.”
Hasina could not be reached for comment.
Siddiq has “denied any involvement in the allegations” accusing her of embezzlement, according to a statement from the British Prime Minister's office.
Joy, who is believed to reside in the United States, was also unavailable for comment.
