Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has destroyed the country’s almost all institutions and shattered the economy during her 15 years unilateral rules, said Bangladesh Interim Government Chief Prof Muhammad Yunus during an exclusive interview with German based broadcaster DW.

Yunus spoken about the challenges he is facing in his new role and the reforms he’s planning to implement before holding a general election.

Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, took over as interim leader of Bangladesh last month after violent political unrest led to an unceremonious end to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule.

In an interview with the DW, he addressed an array of issues, including the domestic political situation, Bangladesh’s relations with India and the influx of the Rohingya into the country.

The 84-year-old leader, who holds the official position of chief adviser in the interim government, said former PM Hasina “destroyed almost all institutions” and “the economy was shattered.”

“You do not know where to begin because everything has to be restarted in a different way,” he said, adding that his interim administration wants to “establish citizens’ rights, human rights, democracy and everything that goes with a good governance.”

He also hinted at amending the constitution. “We should be focusing on the major issues of constitution and build a consensus. We cannot do anything without a consensus because our strength comes from the consensus. If we can establish the consensus, we go ahead and do that.”

Yunus says Hasina’s corrupt practices shattered economy

During the interview, Yunus also accused Hasina’s administration of corruption, which he said shattered the nation’s economy.

“Money siphoned off from Bangladesh, through government channels to bank channels and so on. Contracts were signed not for the benefit of the people but for the benefit of a family or family members, and something like that. So, those ugly things that you see when a government goes in the wrong direction, things happen, terrible things happen in the economy and so on.”

Bangladesh’s $450-billion (€412-billion) economy has struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly when it comes to creating enough, decent-paying jobs for its vast youth population.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has also sharply increased the cost of fuel and food imports, causing the South Asian nation’s foreign exchange reserves to shrink.

Dhaka was forced to seek financial support from the IMF last year in the form of a $4.7-billion bailout.

Yunus’ interim administration is currently urging international lenders to offer it $5 billion in financial aid to stabilize its dwindling foreign exchange reserves.