Travel ban imposition by courts on the Anti-Corruption Commission鈥檚 applications on dozens of former ministers and Awami League leaders, including the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her relatives, after they left the country raises questions about the impact of the bans.
The ACC has intensified its efforts to combat graft since the fall of the Awami League regime amid a mass uprising. It sought travel bans on numerous individuals since then.
Many of the individuals fled the country either before or after the political changeover and the ACC sought travel bans on them after they had left the country.
The deposed prime minister and Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, and her sister Sheikh Rehana were airlifted to India on August 5, 2024 amid a student-led mass uprising.
Hasina鈥檚 son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, Sheikh Rehana鈥檚 daughters Tulip Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and her son Radwan Mujib Siddiq are also staying aboard since August 5, 2024.
Though Hasina has been staying in India since August 5, 2024, the ACC applied for a travel ban against her on March 10 this year. The court granted the ACC plea.
ACC deputy director Monirul Islam in the petition mentioned that they got information that Hasina, Rehana and others were trying to leave the country.
鈥業f they leave the country, it will hinder the probe against them,鈥� said the petition.
Retired senior district judge and ACC鈥檚 former director general Moyeedul Islam told 抖阴精品 that the ACC had claimed that聽 the travel bans were issued against Hasina, Rehana and some others due to the lack of official evidence regarding their travel.
鈥楬owever, this claim is not accurate. Different television channels and media outlets showed that Hasina, Rehana and a few others fled the country by a military plane. It can be considered a form of evidence,鈥� he said.
鈥業mposing travel bans on individuals already staying abroad is ridiculous,鈥� Moyeedul also said.
鈥楾hrough these travel bans, the ACC is avoiding its own responsibility. Despite knowing that certain graft suspects are staying abroad, the ACC is doing nothing to bring them back,鈥� he added.
Since the fall of the AL regime on August 5, 2024, different courts issued travel bans on over 250 individuals, including former AL ministers, lawmakers, politicians, businessmen, and government officials who are facing allegations of amassing illegal wealth and money laundering, ACC officials said. 聽
However, around a hundred of these individuals are already known to be living abroad, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the ACC鈥檚 move.
On October 7, 2024, a court in Dhaka, responding to a petition filed by the ACC, imposed a travel ban on former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed and his wife, Rukmila Jamal. But both of them are staying in the United Kingdom.
On March 6 this year, the court imposed a travel ban on former Rajshahi City Corporation mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, his wife and two daughters. 聽However, the ACC sought the travel ban after they had left the country.
On March 4, 2024, a travel ban was issued on businessman Mohammad Saiful Alam, chairman of S Alam Group, and 11 members of his family though Saiful had been residing in Singapore.
On January 14 this year, the ACC imposed travel bans through courts on former minister for environment, forest and climate change Mohammad Shahabuddin and former education minister Nurul Islam Nahid though they were staying abroad.
On February 24, the court imposed a travel ban on a former lawmaker from Faridpur 4 constituency, Mojibur Rahman Chowdhury Nixon, and his wife, Tarin Hossain. However, it was known that Nixon left the country before imposing the ban.
On August 27, 2024, the court imposed a travel ban on Dhaka Metropolitan Police鈥檚 former additional commissioner Harun-or-Rashid and his wife Shirin Akhter but sources said that Harun was staying in the United States.
On November 12, a travel ban was imposed on former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor and Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 nephew Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and his wife Afrin Taposh. He had left the country for Singapore on August 3, two days before the fall of the AL regime.
Former finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, who also left the country before the fall of the AL regime, is also now facing a travel ban.
A travel ban was imposed on former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and his family on September 1, 2024 though a video clipping that surfaced earlier showed that he was in India.
A video clipping that went viral on social media in the past year showed that Awami League leader Shamim Osman was staying in Dubai. A court in Dhaka, responding to ACC鈥檚 petition, imposed a travel ban on him and his family on February 25 this year.
In September 2024, the ACC also imposed travel bans on former fisheries and livestock minister Abdur Rahman and former shipping minister Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury though they were staying in the UK.
A court in Dhaka also issued travel bans following ACC petitions on former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud who is staying in Belgium while travel bans were also issued on former lawmakers Mahbubul Alam Hanif, former railways minister Mujibul Haque, former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury though they were reportedly staying abroad.
ACC public prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam said that the commission was seeking a travel ban on the graft suspects as part of the legal process.
鈥楾here is no complete proof of the whereabouts of many individuals, including Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 family members. The ACC must continue to follow legal protocols until such evidence is presented,鈥� he added.
He also mentioned that the ACC had requested travel bans on 150 to 200 leaders and activists of the Awami League. Besides, travel bans were imposed on over 100 businessmen, bureaucrats and government employees.
鈥業 have heard that most of them are staying abroad. As the matter is not proved to the state, we assume they are still within the country,鈥� he said.
ACC usually issues travel bans following court approval to prevent the graft suspects from leaving the country, ACC director general (prevention) Md Akhtar Hossain said.
Responding to a question about why travel bans were sought against graft suspects staying abroad, he said that they did so as they had no official documents of their leaving the country.