Dhaka court to deliver 27 Nov verdicts against Hasina, family in graft cases
Staff Reporter:
Days after the International Crimes Tribunal handed down a death sentence to former deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a separate war crimes case, a Dhaka court has set 27 November for delivering verdicts in three long-running corruption cases linked to alleged irregularities in the Purbachal New Town Project’s plot allocations.
Judge Md Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 fixed the date on Sunday after both prosecution and defence completed their arguments. The cases involve Sheikh Hasina; her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy; her daughter, Saima Wazed Putul; and 44 other former government officials, political associates, and Rajuk members.
Confirming the development, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Khan Md Mainul Hasan told reporters, “We have sought the highest punishment for the accused, which is life imprisonment in these cases.”
End of arguments, verdict next week
During Sunday’s hearing, the only accused currently in custody—Rajuk
member Md Khurshid Alam—was represented by Advocate Md Shahinur Islam. He argued that his client had been wrongfully implicated and urged the court to acquit him.
With the remaining accused still absconding, none were able to present arguments before the court.
The proceedings reached the final stage after the court completed recording testimonies on 17 November. Over the course of the trial, 91 witnesses testified across the three cases, detailing alleged abuse of authority, procedural violations, and favouritism in the allocation of government plots.
Charges framed in July, warrants issued
The three cases—part of a wider set of six corruption cases filed by the ACC in January—stem from allegations that the accused misused their official positions to secure Purbachal plots for themselves or others in violation of government rules.
On 31 July, the court framed charges and ordered the trials to begin. Arrest warrants were issued for those who failed to appear.
The accused are divided across three separate cases:
Case 1: Sheikh Hasina and former senior assistant secretary Purabi Goldar among 12 accused.
Case 2: Sheikh Hasina and her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, among 17 accused.
Case 3: Sheikh Hasina and her daughter, Saima Wazed Putul, among 18 accused.
Others charged include former housing and public works secretary Shahid Ullah Khandaker; Additional Secretary (Administration) Kazi Wasi Uddin; Rajuk administrative officer Saiful Islam Sarkar; former Rajuk chairman Anisur Rahman Miah; and several current and former Rajuk members.
Former state minister for housing and public works Sharif Ahmed and Sheikh Hasina’s former personal secretary Salauddin Ahmed have also been named in the cases.
Part of ACC’s broader investigation
In January, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed six cases in total, accusing the former prime minister, members of her family, and several officials of abusing power, bypassing rules, and manipulating Rajuk’s allocation procedures under the Purbachal New Town Project.
With arguments now closed and the court preparing to issue verdicts, the cases mark one of the most significant corruption trials in Bangladesh since the July mass uprising and the subsequent political reshuffling that followed Sheikh Hasina’s fall from power.
The verdicts are scheduled to be delivered on 27 November at Dhaka Special Judge Court-5.