The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has charged a man from Redbank Plains, Ipswich, for allegedly paying Bangladeshi public officials $90,000 in an attempt to influence an investigation into the suspicious death of a woman known to him.
The 51‑year‑old man is scheduled to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
He faces one count of bribing a foreign public official, contrary to section 70.2(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.
According to the AFP, between September 2024 and September 2026 the man conspired with individuals in Bangladesh to arrange the transfer of money intended to bribe officials. The alleged purpose was to alter the course of the Bangladeshi investigation, including removing his name from police records.
This marks the first time the federal police brought before a court an allegation of foreign bribery of a public official for personal advantage.
The investigation began in September 2024 after Queensland Police referred an overseas missing person’s report involving a dual Australian‑Bangladeshi woman. The following day, Bangladeshi police advised they had located what they believed to be her body, later confirmed by forensic testing.
Bangladeshi authorities indicated the cause of death was suspicious.
The AFP subsequently refocused its investigation under Division 115 of the Criminal Code, which criminalises murder, manslaughter or serious harm to Australian citizens or residents overseas. This probe ran parallel to a separate Bangladesh Police investigation.
As part of its inquiries, it executed search warrants at financial institutions in Sydney and Brisbane, seizing international transaction records and bank documents. On 21 September 2026, AFP officers arrested the man and searched homes in Goodna and Redbank Plains, seizing an electronic device for forensic examination.
Commander Stephen Jay said attempts to corrupt investigative processes, whether in Australia or abroad, are serious criminal matters.
“The AFP takes allegations of bribery and corruption seriously, particularly where the alleged conduct is intended to influence the outcome of a serious criminal investigation,” he said. “Anyone who attempts to buy influence or interfere with the administration of justice should expect to be held accountable.”
The AFP’s foreign bribery response has been led since October 2025 by Taskforce Solaris, a multidisciplinary team dedicated to preventing, detecting and investigating foreign bribery and grand corruption. The AFP is also a founding member of the Bribery Prevention Network, a public‑private partnership promoting compliance and anti‑corruption practices.
The investigation into the suspicious death remains ongoing, alongside the Bangladesh Police inquiry.
