
Bangladesh cricket great Shakib Al Hasan, an ally of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has said he will return from a two-year exile in the United States and face trial on charges…
Bangladesh cricket great Shakib Al Hasan, an ally of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has said he will return from a two-year exile in the United States and face trial on charges including murder, provided the government guarantees his safety. The 39-year-old former lawmaker hopes to play a farewell series at home and represent Bangladesh at the 2027 World Cup.
Shakib told Reuters he wrote to the interior, law and sports ministries seeking to have what he calls fabricated charges dropped, but received no response. The Economic Times reports that in late 2024 he boarded a flight home on security assurances but was told mid-journey to turn back. Two active cases against him include a murder charge filed while he was playing in Toronto, and an anti-corruption case.
Some claim Shakib is a fugitive avoiding justice; others say the charges are a political vendetta against a Hasina loyalist. The facts are that he has not yet appointed a defence lawyer, his bank accounts remain frozen, and he publicly refuses to distance himself from the Awami League. The question now is whether the Rahman government will grant him security clearance, especially as Hasina herself plans to return in December.
Sources (2): sports.ndtv.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.