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Published : 14 Aug 2025, 10:45 PM
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has prosecuted Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy, son and former advisor to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, on charges of amassing illicit wealth and laundering money.
Joy is accused of abusing his position as ICT advisor under the Awami League government to acquire more than Tk 600 million in unexplained wealth.
The charges were filed on Thursday by ACC Assistant Director AKM Murtaza Ali Sagar at the agency’s Dhaka Integrated District Office, the commission confirmed via spokesperson Aktarul Islam.
The ACC has also accused him of suspicious transactions, corruption, and accepting bribes.
According to the commission, Joy committed these offences between 2000 and Jun 30, 2024.
Following a student-led Uprising, Hasina left the country for India on Aug 5 last year, bringing an end to the Awami League’s 15-year rule. Her sister Sheikh Rehana left with her.
Joy had already been living in the United States.
The First Information Report (FIR) says Joy exploited his official capacity to illegally acquire wealth worth Tk 608.47 million, which is inconsistent with his known sources of income. Of this amount, Tk 540.43 million was spent on purchasing two houses and making investments in the US.
The ACC claims that although Joy is a Bangladeshi citizen and therefore legally obliged to disclose all income sources in his tax returns, he failed to do so and instead “laundered” money abroad.
The FIR also notes that Joy conducted transactions worth Tk 34.62 million through two bank accounts held in his name. The total amount of “suspicious” transactions in these accounts stands at Tk 975.05 million.
He has been charged under Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004; Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012; and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
According to the ACC’s investigation, Joy possesses immovable assets worth Tk 543.92 million and movable assets valued at Tk 67.88 million -- totalling Tk 614.68 million.
His total declared expenditure amounts to Tk 2.87 million.
Yet the income shown in his tax return is only Tk 13.29 million.
The ACC said the value of Joy’s assets is “inconsistent” with his declared income.
The commission said action will be taken if the investigation uncovers more illegal assets or the involvement of others.
The alleged offences took place in Dhaka and several other locations, it added.
