NN Online:
A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of a Gulshan flat owned by Saima Wazed Putul, daughter of ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, amid an ongoing anti-corruption investigation.
The order was issued on Tuesday by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Ghalib, following a petition by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), confirmed agency spokesperson Akhtarul Islam.
According to the ACC, the flat is valued at Tk 5.7 million. In its petition, the agency claimed that Saima Wazed was attempting to transfer or dispose of the property. “Such a move could obstruct the investigation,” the petition stated.
To prevent any alteration of ownership before the case is resolved, the ACC argued for the attachment of the property, citing the necessity of securing the asset for a fair and uninterrupted inquiry.
This order comes in the wake of several similar actions taken by the court in recent weeks. On March 11, the court ordered the seizure of “Sudha Sadan,” the Dhanmondi residence of Hasina, now in exile in India following a mass uprising in August last year. That property is jointly registered under her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed.
Additionally, land with constructed houses and eight flats registered in the names of Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana and her children—Tulip Siddiq and Radwan Mujib Siddiq—were also ordered seized. The combined value of those properties stands at Tk 85.2 million.
In a widening probe, the court earlier froze 124 bank accounts tied to Hasina and her close associates. On March 4, 14 bank accounts associated with the Shuchona Foundation, chaired by Saima Wazed, were frozen.
Further court orders followed: on March 18, 31 accounts belonging to Hasina, Rehana, Joy, Saima, and others were frozen, holding a total of Tk 3.94 billion. On April 9, accounts containing an additional Tk 161.2 million were also frozen as part of the investigation.
