Man linked to suspicious death charged with bribery

A man has been charged with bribing public officials in Bangladesh to stop police linking him to a suspicious death, in a first in Australia's courts.

An Australian-Bangladeshi woman's death was deemed suspicious by local authorities when her body was found in Bangladesh in September 2024.

The Australian Federal Police began investigating the death due to the woman's dual citizenship status, seizing international transaction records from banks in Sydney and Brisbane.

Police allege a 51-year-old man known to the woman conspired with people in Bangladesh in the two years after her death, transferring about $90,000 to bribe public officials to remove his name from police records.

Raids were carried out on Monday at homes in Goodna and Redbank Plains, in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, where authorities seized an electronic device and arrested the 51-year-old.

He was charged with bribing a foreign public official, an offence which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.

Any attempt to corrupt investigative processes, whether in Australia or overseas, was a serious criminal matter, AFP Commander Stephen Jay said.

"We will continue to work closely with our domestic and international partners regarding this investigation," he said.

The Redbank Plains man is scheduled to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court later on Tuesday.

It is the first time the AFP has put an allegation of foreign bribery of a public official for personal advantage before the court.

Bangladeshi police are conducting their own investigation into the woman's death.