Bank lockers’ gold not entirely Hasina’s ACC

Staff Reporter :

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has clarified that the 832.51 bhori of gold ornaments recovered from two lockers registered under the name of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina at Agrani Bank’s Principal Branch do not belong solely to her.

Speaking to reporters in Dhaka on Wednesday, ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain said that part of the gold belongs to Hasina, while the rest belongs to her sister Sheikh Rehana and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul.

According to the ACC, around 422.26 bhori of gold were recovered from Locker 751, which is jointly registered to Sheikh Hasina and Saima Wazed Putul. Another 410.25 bhori were found in Locker 753, jointly owned by Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.

The ACC noted that Hasina had declared three lockers in her 2007 wealth statement-two at Agrani Bank and one at Pubali Bank. The locker at Pubali Bank, however, contained nothing other than an empty jute bag.

In her affidavit to the Election Commission before the 2024 national elections, Hasina declared gold and ornaments valued at Tk 13.25 lakh under her own name.

Answering questions from the media, Akhtar explained that many of the recovered ornaments carry identifiable markings.

“Some of the items are marked as belonging to Sheikh Hasina, while others are marked for her daughter or her sister. Each piece has its own distinct identifier, and our investigation team will examine them individually,” he said.