Staff Reporter :
A Dhaka court has issued arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, along with 27 others, in connection with two separate corruption cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over irregularities in the allotment of plots by the Capital Development Authority (RAJUK).
On Tuesday (April 15), Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib took cognizance of the charge sheets submitted by the ACC.
One case involves 12 accused, while the other involves 17. Since the accused are currently absconding, the court issued arrest warrants against them.
Assistant Director of the ACC’s prosecution division, Aminul Islam, confirmed the information in court.
Other individuals named in the arrest warrants include:
Md. Saiful Islam Sarkar, administrative officer at the Ministry of Housing and Public Works,
Senior Assistant Secretary Purabi Goldar, Additional Secretary Kazi Wasi Uddin, Secretary Md. Shahid Ullah Khandaker, Md. Anisur Rahman Mia, former PA to the RAJUK Chairman, Former RAJUK member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Kabir Al Asad, Tanmoy Das, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Retired Major (Engineer) Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Md. Nurul Islam, Director Sheikh Shahinul Islam, Deputy Director Md. Hafizur Rahman, Habibur Rahman, Mohammad Salah Uddin, and Sharif Ahmed the latter two being investigation targets.
It has been revealed that based on evidence of illegal allotment of 60 kathas of land in Purbachal, the ACC filed eight separate charge sheets against members of Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana’s family, former State Minister Sharif Ahmed, the former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Salahuddin, and 14 officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works. These cases were filed on January 12, 13, and 14 of this year.
The accused are charged with abuse of power while in office particularly former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family to secure allocation of six plots on Road 203, Sector 27 of the Purbachal New Town Project, despite being ineligible.
The cases have been filed under sections 161, 163, 164, 409, and 109 of the Penal Code, 1860, as well as section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
After ruling the country for nearly a decade and a half, Sheikh Hasina stepped down as Prime Minister on August 5 following a mass uprising led by students and citizens. She has since taken refuge in India and remains there.
