Purbachal Plot Scam: Hasina gets 21 years in prison, Joy, Putul five yrs each
Staff Reporter :
Deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison in three corruption cases linked to irregularities in plot allocations under Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter, Saima Wazed Putul, were each handed five-year prison terms, with Joy receiving an additional fine of Tk1 lakh.
The verdicts were delivered on Thursday by Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5.
Each of the three cases brought against Hasina carried a seven-year sentence, and the court ordered that they be served consecutively.
The ruling comes just 10 days after the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death for crimes against humanity committed during last year’s July Uprising.
The courtroom area witnessed a sweeping security operation from early morning.
Police set up multiple checkpoints around the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, while two platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were stationed as reinforcements.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members and local police patrolled the surrounding streets.
“There are no security concerns so far. We are being vigilant,” said Miah Mohammad Ashis Bin Hasan, Deputy Commissioner of the Prosecution Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
Judge Mamun began reading the verdicts at 11:24am. The proceedings stretched until 12:05pm, during which he sharply criticised the conduct of the former prime minister and her children in securing plots in Purbachal New Town.
“Hasina Was Greedy for Wealth”
In his detailed observations, the judge said Sheikh Hasina acted with “greed for wealth,” noting that she bypassed mandatory procedures by failing to apply through the prescribed Rajuk form.
“She is not an ordinary citizen. She has legal advisers, a law minister, an attorney general. If an affidavit is not notarised, it has no legal standing,” Judge Mamun remarked.
He said Rajuk opened a file on 18 July 2022 to allocate a 10-katha plot to Hasina. Preliminary approval was granted on 26 July, and she was informed the following day.
She was required to submit an affidavit declaring that neither she nor her family had received plots in Dhaka from any government or semi-government body.
Hasina submitted an affidavit stating that no plot had been allocated in her name—while failing to disclose that her husband received a plot in 1973.
The affidavit carried no witness, no lawyer’s seal, and no notary attestation. She submitted an identical affidavit again after receiving final approval on 3 August.
“If Sheikh Hasina had not taken the plot, another deserving applicant would have received it.
Therefore, Sheikh Hasina committed fraud,” the judge said.
He added: “Corruption has permeated every sector of our society, and corrupt individuals have been rewarded.
This verdict will serve as a precedent to ensure that deserving individuals receive plot allocations.”
Charges Against Hasina, Joy, and Putul
The three cases concerned separate allegations involving the illegal allocation of 10-katha plots in Purbachal.
Against Sheikh Hasina:
Prosecutors argued that she abused her power as prime minister to secure a 10-katha plot, concealed crucial information in her affidavit, and violated the requirement that applicants must not own houses or plots in Dhaka.
Against Sajeeb Wazed Joy:
Joy was accused of hiding ownership of a property in Dhaka to qualify for a plot. Prosecutors said he benefitted from his mother’s influence and conspired with officials to secure plot number 15 in Sector 27.
Against Saima Wazed Putul:
Putul faced nearly identical allegations—concealment of existing property and using her mother’s position to influence officials for a 10-katha plot in the same sector.
The charges across the three cases were framed under multiple sections of the Penal Code, including 161, 163, 164, 409, 420, and 109, along with section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Background: A Web of Six Corruption Cases
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed six cases between 12 and 14 January, accusing members of the former prime minister’s family and associates—including Sheikh Rehana, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq.
Charge-sheets were submitted in all six cases on 10 March. On 20 July, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib transferred the cases to the trial courts after the accused ignored repeated summons.
On 31 July, Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 framed charges in three of the cases—those linked to Hasina, Joy, and Putul—and issued arrest warrants. Court-4 framed charges in the remaining three that same day.
Among the 23 accused in the three cases decided on Thursday, only one—former Rajuk member (Estate and Land) Mohammad Khurshid Alam—is currently in custody.
ACC Seeks Life Imprisonment in All Six Cases
Public prosecutor Mir Ahammed Salam, representing the Anti-Corruption Commission, said the prosecution had decisively proved the charges through witness testimony and documentary evidence.
He reiterated that the ACC would seek the maximum punishment—life imprisonment—for all 47 accused across the six cases.
A Landmark Verdict in a Turbulent Political Season
With the former prime minister now convicted in multiple cases, including a capital sentence from the ICT, Bangladesh’s political landscape enters an unprecedented phase.
Thursday’s ruling adds another decisive chapter to the complex legal battles facing the former ruling family.
The court’s message, Judge Mamun said, was clear: the rule of law must apply equally to all—no matter how powerful.