Published: 12:23 AM, 06 September 2026
Hasina, Rehana, Nazrul Sued for Gobbling Up BDT 276 Crore CSR Funds
Exim Bank's jailed Chairman and branded financial scammer Nazrul Islam Mazumder is seen handing over flowers to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a program in this picture. -File Photo
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and one other person over allegations of collecting and embezzling Tk 276 crore 34 lakh 50 thousand from the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds of 41 banks in the name of the "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust."
ACC Assistant Director Md. Ismail Hossain filed the case on Thursday (September 3) at the ACC's Integrated District Office Dhaka-1. Later, ACC Secretary Md. Saidur Rahman Khan informed journalists about the case.
The other accused is former Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) President and former chairman of EXIM Bank, Md. Nazrul Islam Mazumder.
According to the case statement, the accused, "acting in collusion, abusing their authority and committing criminal breach of trust," collected a total of Tk 276 crore 34 lakh 50 thousand from the CSR funds of 41 banks in favor of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust.
The case alleges that this caused financial loss to the state. It also states that Sheikh Hasina was the chairperson and Sheikh Rehana the vice-chairperson of the trust, which was established under the Trusts Act, 1882.
The ACC said that during its investigation, it reviewed information and records obtained from 41 scheduled banks in Bangladesh. According to the findings, Nazrul Islam Mazumder, who was then president of the BAB, proposed at an executive committee meeting that the banks provide money to the trust from their CSR funds, even though the matter was not included in the scheduled agenda and was instead raised under "miscellaneous" business. The executive committee subsequently decided to provide the funds.
Based on that decision, letters were sent to the banks specifying how much each bank was expected to contribute.
The ACC said that a total of Tk 276 crore 34 lakh 50 thousand was subsequently collected from the CSR funds of the 41 banks.
The case statement says that Bangladesh Bank's CSR guidelines contain no provision for providing donations to such a trust.
According to the ACC, an on-site inspection found no evidence of official activities at the address given for the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust. The statement also claims that the trust was not an organization approved by the Department of Social Services or the NGO Affairs Bureau.
The ACC further said that its investigation found no evidence that the activities promised by the trust had actually been carried out.
The case alleges that Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana established the organization with "an ulterior motive of personal gain" and, by "exercising influence" through the BAB, collected money from the CSR funds of various banks.
The ACC alleges that Nazrul Islam Mazumder, while serving as BAB president, used the influence of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and played a role in securing the decision to provide money from the CSR funds of 41 banks to the trust.
The ACC further alleged that although there was no legal provision for making such donations from CSR funds to the trust, the banks were compelled to provide the money through an "abuse of authority."
The accused have been charged under Sections 409 and 109 of the Penal Code and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
