Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced steps to address a series of corruption scandals, including one involving her former household servant who has amassed a staggering $34 million fortune and now travels by helicopter. Hasina disclosed these measures during a press conference late Sunday, highlighting the severity and pervasiveness of corruption within the country.
“Corruption is a longstanding problem,” Hasina stated. “These messes must be cleaned up… we have been taking measures.” One of the notable cases involves her former household assistant, a low-level orderly known as a “peon,” who was responsible for basic tasks such as providing water during events. The individual, who Bangladeshi media have identified as Jahangir Alam, nicknamed “Pani” or “water,” has been reported to own 4 billion Taka ($34 million).
“The man who worked as a peon in my house — he now owns 400,00,00,000 Taka ($34 million),” Hasina said. “He can’t move without a helicopter. How has he earned so much money? I took action immediately after knowing this.”
To put this in perspective, it would take an average Bangladeshi more than 13,000 years to earn that amount, given the country’s average GDP per capita of $2,529, according to the World Bank.
While Hasina did not explicitly name the servant, several newspapers have identified him as Jahangir Alam. The Dhaka Tribune reported that Alam had leveraged his position within Hasina’s office to engage in lobbying, tender manipulation, and bribery.
The news of Alam’s wealth has spread rapidly on social media, prompting opposition parties to criticize Hasina’s administration for widespread corruption. AKM Wahiduzzaman, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main opposition party, said, “If Sheikh Hasina’s peon could make such an astronomical amount of money, you can guess how much his boss has made. The most shocking thing is he has not been prosecuted for his crime. He was just removed from his post.”
The scandal involving Alam is only one among many that have recently come to light. These allegations have implicated a former army chief, an ex-police chief, senior tax officers, and state recruitment officials. The wave of corruption revelations has put significant pressure on Hasina’s administration, which has been in power for over 15 years.
Hasina, 76, won her fourth consecutive general election in January. The election was marked by the absence of genuine opposition parties, widespread boycotts, and a major crackdown on her political opponents. However, since May, these high-profile corruption scandals have cast a shadow over her long rule, intensifying scrutiny and criticism of her government.
Despite these revelations, Hasina has emphasized her commitment to combating corruption and restoring integrity within her administration. The actions taken against her former household servant and others implicated in corruption are intended to signal a serious effort to address these issues. However, critics argue that more stringent measures and prosecutions are necessary to genuinely tackle the deep-rooted problem of corruption in Bangladesh.
As Hasina navigates these turbulent times, the pressure to demonstrate accountability and transparency continues to mount. The handling of these corruption cases will be a critical test of her leadership and the resilience of her government in the face of growing public discontent and opposition scrutiny.
The corruption scandal involving Hasina’s former household servant highlights the broader challenges of addressing endemic corruption in Bangladesh. Hasina’s recent actions signify an acknowledgment of these issues, but the effectiveness of her measures remains to be seen. The political and social implications of these scandals will likely shape the discourse and dynamics within Bangladesh in the coming months.
