Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has alleged that despite being in Singapore twice, main opposition BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia failed to protect the money that her son Koko laundered.
“When we come to power we work for people and think about their welfare; but when BNP assumes office, they resort to corruption, looting and terrorism and siphon off public money abroad,” Hasina told a public rally at the C&B ground in Fatikchhari.
“You surely have not forgotten that the BNP chief went to Saudi Arabia with suitcases when she was in power. And this time when we were trying to bring her son’s siphoned-off money from Singapore, she rushed there twice to protect it. But the Singapore court did not give in and the Singapore government returned it to Bangladesh,” Hasina said.
Local units of the ruling Awami League organised the rally.
Hasina criticised the BNP for terming the handover of the “token cheque” of the laundered money a “drama.” She said the opposition was trying to confuse people.
“Who plays drama… We handed over the people’s money to the people. Do not confuse the people. We have brought back the laundered money of one of her sons. An FBI member testified against her other son in a money-laundering case. How could you call it a drama?” Hasina floated the rhetoric question to the crowd gathered at the rally.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Mabubey Alam in a programme at a city hotel handed over an Overseas Bank of Singapore “token cheque” for $956,387.4 to the Anti Corruption Commission. The amount was the second tranche of the money siphoned off by Khaleda’s youngest son Arafat Rahman Koko.
The BNP on Wednesday termed the handover a “drama” and said it was staged to demean the Zia family.
Claiming that all the polls held under her government were free and fair, Sheikh Hasina reiterated that the next parliamentary elections would be held as per the constitution and people would freely exercise their right to vote.
Listing her government’s various development activities and successes, the Awami League chief called upon the people to vote for her party to maintain peace and the pace of development
