Disposed Kleptocracy’s Digital Warfare Against Yunus

Special Report :

The kleptocracy led by former prime minister of Bangladesh continues to wage a sophisticated digital campaign against, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus according to a recently published article by Anindya Banerjee of India’s NEWS18 channel. Despite immense public backlash and her near-political downfall, Hasina’s Awami League remains a formidable force online, leveraging a global IT network to maintain influence and challenge adversaries.

> “Despite the party being banned in Bangladesh and its leadership in exile, the IT Cell, headed by former minister Mohammad A Arafat from Kolkata and supported by a team in Washington DC led by Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, maintains active communication with supporters inside Bangladesh. Hasina herself engages daily for several hours with district committees via virtual meetings, which are recorded and used to create motivating content for social media dissemination.”

> – News18 Exclusive
Hasina’s digital strategy, headed by former minister Mohammad A Arafat from Kolkata and supported by a team in Washington DC led by Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, is orchestrated through an IT Cell that manages the party’s presence across platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Telegram. This network is not only a tool for communication but also a means to counter the narratives of rivals like Yunus, whose global stature and domestic influence pose a significant challenge to the Awami League’s future.

The Awami League’s digital campaign is further strengthened by support from the Bangladeshi diaspora in London, Brussels, and the Middle East. This international network assists in content creation, strategy, and dissemination, making it difficult for authorities to contain Hasina’s influence.

Despite her removal, Hasina continues to enjoy the backing of powerful oligarchs who are under pressure from the country’s asset recovery initiative which is trying to bring back laundered money from foreign banks and investments in real estate. These business elites, who amassed fortunes during her regime, remain financially secure thanks to ongoing payments from the current government. Key sources of this continued wealth include:
– Capacity Payments to Power Producers: During Hasina’s tenure, the government paid over Tk 1.05 trillion in capacity charges to private power producers and rental plants, often keeping public-sector stations idle. These payments have continued to swell, with the current regime allocating massive subsidies to cover these obligations, ensuring that the same oligarchs remain financially rewarded.

– Construction Contracts Without International Tenders: Major contracts in education, roads, and highways were frequently awarded to a small group of favored companies, often without international competitive bidding. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, just five companies secured 51% of all Roads and Highways Department contracts, raising concerns about corruption and lack of transparency. This pattern of contract concentration and syndicate control has persisted, with many of the same firms continuing to benefit under the new administration.

Recent investigations have revealed that members of Sheikh Hasina’s inner circle, including her family, have benefited from substantial investments in UK real estate. These investments were often structured through financial vehicles and companies owned or managed by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, the former Land Minister of Bangladesh, who is now in exile and under investigation for money laundering and corruption.

– Scale of UK Real Estate Holdings: Nearly 350 properties in the UK, valued at over £400 million, have been linked to Sheikh Hasina’s associates, including former ministers and business elites.
– Financial Vehicles and Offshore Structures:The properties were often purchased using offshore companies registered in jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands, Isle of Man, and Jersey, making the true ownership difficult to trace.

– Alleged Returns to Hasina Family and Associates: Investigations suggest that the Hasina family and other close associates enjoyed financial returns from these investments, with profits and rental income flowing through the financial vehicles controlled by Chowdhury and other trusted allies.

– Al Jazeera’s Investigative Report: Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit conducted an undercover operation, revealing how Chowdhury, on a modest official salary, amassed a vast overseas property empire and failed to declare these assets in Bangladesh.

– Legal and Political Repercussions: Following the fall of Hasina’s government, Bangladeshi authorities have frozen Chowdhury’s bank accounts and launched investigations into the sources of his wealth.

Sheikh Hasina’s digital campaign is not just a tool for political survival; it is an extension of her long-standing vision for a “Digital Bangladesh.” Since launching the Digital Bangladesh initiative in 2009, Hasina has championed the use of technology to transform the country’s economy, governance, and society, aiming to establish a knowledge-based, innovative nation by 2041. Her digital war against Yunus is thus both a continuation of this vision and a testament to her adaptability in the face of political adversity.