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Shahabuddin leaves Bangabhaban as legal scrutiny mounts
Daily Sun Report, Dhaka
Published: 27 Jul 2026, 12:00 AM
Former president Mohammed Shahabuddin quit Bangabhaban for his private Gulshan residence on Sunday, hours after fresh allegations were lodged against him with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) over crimes against humanity committed during the Awami League era.
Shahabuddin, who tendered his resignation to Speaker Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Friday citing health grounds, left the presidential palace with his family at around 2:25pm and arrived at Green Villa, his residence on Road No. 123 in Gulshan, by 3pm under heavy security escort.
The 22nd president of Bangladesh, Shahabuddin was sworn in on 24 April 2023 for a five-year term but stepped down some 21 months 
early, having served three years and three months in office.
Hundreds of onlookers gathered near Bangabhaban’s main gate as he departed, with law enforcers deployed in strength to prevent any disorder.
Security has since been tightened around Green Villa, with the government assuring Shahabuddin of full protection and entitlements under the law.
Doctors at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) have advised the former president to seek advanced treatment abroad, likely in Singapore or Bangkok, though the date of his departure remains unconfirmed.
Meanwhile, students at educational institutions across the country staged processions demanding Shahabuddin’s immediate arrest over his alleged role in the July-August 2024 mass uprising, in which hundreds were killed.
Separately, intelligence and government agencies have opened investigations into corruption allegations dating back to his time in senior state positions.
ICT complaint alleges complicity in July killings
A formal complaint has been submitted to the ICT Chief Prosecutor’s Office seeking an investigation into Shahabuddin’s alleged role in human rights violations during the July uprising.
The Bangladesh Azad Party and the Rastrosonglap Forum, who filed the complaint, accused him of complicity in the killings and rights abuses, urging the tribunal to investigate and pursue legal action should the evidence support it.
Government examining graft allegations, minister says
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman said the government was scrutinising corruption allegations against Shahabuddin relating to his earlier tenure as an Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner and a director of Islami Bank Bangladesh, adding that legal action would follow if the claims proved authentic.
He said the allegations would be fully investigated before any decision was made, stressing that the government had no wish to see anyone treated unjustly.
Calls for Shahabuddin’s arrest, he added, would be judged on legal merit, while any decision on his travelling abroad for treatment fell within the home ministry’s remit.
Bangladesh Bank rules out separate probe
Responding to media reports, Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Arief Hossain Khan said the central bank would not launch a standalone investigation into financial irregularity allegations against the former president.
“Our investigation focuses on irregularity in the bank, not on targeting any individual,” he told journalists, noting that the bank’s scrutiny formed part of wider regulatory oversight for banking reform rather than action against any one person.
NCP renews demand for arrest and trial
National Citizen Party (NCP) Member Secretary Akhter Hossen MP repeated calls for Shahabuddin’s arrest and trial over his alleged role in the July 2024 massacre.
Speaking at a programme at Islamic University in Kushtia, he accused the former president of breaching his constitutional oath and acting as an accomplice to Sheikh Hasina during the atrocities, and criticised what he called government efforts to grant Shahabuddin a “safe exit,” voicing concern over political bias.
Home minister: No grounds yet for arrest
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters at his secretariat office that the government currently saw no basis for legal action against the former president.
“There is nothing that we see as grounds for arresting the former president. He will get all the facilities he is entitled to under the law.
He will receive security from SSF and PGR for six months. Besides, police and other agencies will also ensure his security according to the law.”
Under the President’s Pension, Gratuity and Other Benefits Act 2016, a president who resigns after at least six months in office qualifies for a lifetime pension worth 75% of his last basic salary.
On a presidential salary of Tk1.2 lakh a month, Shahabuddin is entitled to a monthly pension of Tk90,000, or he may opt for a one-off gratuity instead.
He also retains the right to a personal assistant, an attendant, an annual expense allowance, ministerial-level medical benefits, official vehicles, a diplomatic passport, a government telephone line, and free stays at circuit houses during domestic travel.