Stolen Fortunes: Unraveling Corruption, Economic Communalism, and the Hidden Wealth of Bangladesh's Hasina Era

BOOK DESCRIPTION The untold story of one of history's largest financial heists—conducted in plain sight. During Sheikh Hasina's fifteen-year rule over Bangladesh (2009-2024), the nation achieved remarkable economic growth, transforming from one of the world's poorest countries into a lower-middle-income economy. Yet beneath this veneer of progress lay a devastating truth: an estimated $234 billion—representing what the Financial Times calls "probably the biggest money plundering from any country in the world"—was systematically siphoned from Bangladesh's treasury into offshore havens from London to Dubai. In Stolen Fortunes, Dr. Naim Tahir Baig presents the first comprehensive investigation into this unprecedented case of state-sanctioned kleptocracy. Drawing from newly declassified court documents, the landmark 2025 Anti-Corruption Commission trials, the explosive Pandora Papers revelations, and exclusive interviews with whistleblowers and survivors, Baig traces the intricate web of corruption that created what opposition parties termed "economic communalism"—a systematic exclusion of minorities and the poor while enriching a politically connected elite. The book meticulously documents how the colonial-era Vested Property Act was weaponized to seize 1.6 million acres from Hindu minorities, how mega-infrastructure projects like the Padma Bridge and Rooppur Nuclear Plant became money-laundering operations, and how family members of the ruling elite accumulated hundreds of millions in assets across multiple countries. From the halls of power in Dhaka to luxury properties in Mayfair, from Swiss bank accounts to British Virgin Islands shell companies, Stolen Fortunes follows the money trail that drained a developing nation. But this is more than a story of corruption—it is an account of human resilience and the pursuit of justice. Baig chronicles the brave students whose 2024 uprising toppled the regime, the ongoing international efforts to recover stolen assets, and the complex legal battles now unfolding in courts from Bangladesh to London. With Hasina in exile and facing multiple charges including crimes against humanity, the book captures a nation's struggle to reclaim not just its missing billions, but its democratic future. Combining forensic financial analysis with compelling human stories, Stolen Fortunes stands as both an indictment of unchecked power and a testament to the enduring quest for justice. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how corruption operates on a global scale and why accountability matters for democracy itself.