DHAKA: Anti-corruption authorities in Bangladesh have seized about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of gold worth about $1.3 million from bank lockers belonging to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, officials said on Wednesday.
Officials from the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the National Board of Revenue said the discovery was made after opening lockers that had been seized in September.
“Following a court order, we opened the lockers and found about 9.7 kilograms of gold belonging to the former prime minister,” a senior CIC official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
The haul included gold coins, bars and jewelry.
Investigators said Hasina had failed to deposit some of the gifts she received while in office at the state treasury, known as “Toshakhana,” as required by law.
The National Board of Revenue is also probing alleged tax evasion and examining whether Hasina declared the recovered gold in her tax filings.
Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since the end of Hasina’s rule, and violence has marred campaigning for elections expected in February 2026.
Earlier this month, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death over a deadly crackdown against a student-led uprising.
The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in the crackdown as Hasina tried to cling to power.
Bangladesh authorities seize 10kgs gold from Hasina’s bank lockers
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Bangladesh authorities seize 10kgs gold from Hasina’s bank lockers
- The National Board of Revenue is also probing alleged tax evasion and examining whether Hasina declared the recovered gold in her tax filings
Australia rejects report it is repatriating families of Daesh militants from Syrian camp
- The return of relatives of suspected Daesh militants is a political issue in Australia, which has seen a surge in popularity of the right-wing
Australia’s center-left government on Sunday rejected a local media report that said it was working to repatriate Australians in a Syrian camp holding families of suspected Daesh militants. The 34 women and children were released on Monday from the camp in northern Syria, but returned to the detention center due to technical reasons. The group is expected to travel to Damascus before eventually returning to Australia, despite objections from ruling and opposition lawmakers.
On Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke rejected claims made in a report in the Sunday Telegraph, asserting that official preparations were under way for the cohort’s return.
“In that report, it makes a claim that we are conducting a repatriation. We are not,” Burke told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television.
“It claims we have been meeting with the states for the purposes of a repatriation. We have not,” Burke added. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who leads Australia’s Labour Party, said this week his government would not help the group return to Australia.
The return of relatives of suspected Daesh militants is a political issue in Australia, which has seen a surge in popularity of the right-wing, anti-immigration One Nation party led by Pauline Hanson.
Daesh, the Sunni Muslim militant group, is listed as a terrorist organization in Australia, with membership of the group punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Australia also has the power to strip dual nationals of citizenship if they are a Daesh member.
