Ex-PM Hasina says will return to Bangladesh but 'could be killed'

NEW DELHI: Bangladesh’s ex-leader Sheikh Hasina told AFP she was determined to return to her country by December despite fearing for her life.

“I may be killed. I may be arrested. I may be sent to prison,” Hasina, 78, said in an email response to questions by AFP.

“I am fully aware of my fate. Still, I want to go back because my people are calling me.”

Since Sheikh Hasina was toppled in a student-led mass uprising in 2024 and fled to India, authorities have investigated the former prime minister’s wealth and looked into her relatives and major business groups accused of benefiting during her 15-year rule.

Bangladesh has confiscated assets worth 760 billion taka (about $6.2 billion) linked to Sheikh Hasina, her family and 10 business groups.

Hasina has been convicted in absentia in several cases, including corruption cases linked to the allocation of plots in an upmarket area of the capital Dhaka.

A court has also sentenced her to death over crimes against humanity.

Hasina has remained in India since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024, and recently said she intended to return by the end of the year.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that the government, which has sought her extradition, wanted to ensure Hasina returns to face justice.

“The verdict will be implemented. The court will decide whether there is any scope for an appeal,” he said.