Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will face trial, regardless of whether she is present in Bangladesh or not, Chief Adviser Dr Yunus has said in an interview with Sky News.

“She will stand trial, there is no doubt about that, all the evidence is here but she is not physically present in Bangladesh. The question of the trial is not whether it will happen, but whether it will take place in absentia or in her presence,” Dr Yunus told Sky News' Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch responding to a question over her trial.

"A trial will be taking place. Not only her, but also of all the people who are associated with her - her family members, her clients or associates. The question is how we can ensure her presence in Bangladesh, that depends on India and also the international law guiding all the systems and how it works and we have already asked India to hand over Hasina to Bangladesh,” he said.

Professor Yunus said they had sent "formal letter" but received "no official response" from New Delhi. “We are waiting for a response. It’s a legal issue. Legally India is required to send her to Bangladesh,” he added.

About his recent visit to one of the now infamous secret jails, code-named the 'House of Mirrors', Dr Yunus said he was beyond shocked at what he saw. "This is just the ugliest thing that you can see, you can feel, or you can observe," he said.

No alternative to strong Bangladesh-India ties: Dr Yunus

Responding to a question on delay in the arrest of alleged perpetrators, Dr Yunus said, "Everybody was involved in it all. The whole government was involved in it. So, you cannot distinguish who was really and enthusiastically doing it; who was doing it under orders and who was not quite supportive but carrying out those kinds of things."

Replying to a question whether families of victims will see justice in his administration, Muhammad Yunus said,” We are trying, we can’t guarantee because we are a short-lived government, legal process is very slow, we can’t push it either. Some will get punished, some will still be under the process; some will still be untraceable."

About investigations into alleged corruption by Hasina, Prof Yunus said the case against her was "serious", that she had a large amount of "wealth left behind" in the country and "everything" would be looked at.

Responding to queries about the sharp rise in the number of the mainly Muslim minority fleeing Myanmar into Bangladesh after escalating violence in the country's long-running civil war, Prof Yunus said they were now in talks with rebel groups in Myanmar about the possibility of a "safe zone" to eventually help the Rohingya refugees return to their homeland.

He also acknowledged big problems in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, home to the largest refugee camp in the world, where an estimated one million Rohingya refugees have fled to - and where "violence, drugs and paramilitary activities" are rife.

The tension, Dr Yunus said, "will not disappear".