A Dhaka court today issued arrest warrants against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, including 29 others, in two separate cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over allegations of corruption in the allocation of plots by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK).
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib’s court took cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the ACC on Tuesday (April 15). Among them, 12 people were accused in one case and 17 in another case. The court has issued arrest warrants against the accused as they are absconding.

Aminul Islam, Assistant Director of the ACC’s Prosecution Division, confirmed this in court.

The arrest warrant accused are – Administrative Officer of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Md. Saiful Islam Sarkar, Senior Assistant Secretary Purabi Goldar, Additional Secretary Kazi Washi Uddin, Secretary Md. Shahid Ullah Khandaker, PA of former RAJUK chairman Md. Anisur Rahman Miah, former RAJUK members Md. Khurshid Alam, Kabir Al Asad, Tanmoy Das, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Major (Engineer) Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury (retired), Md. Nurul Islam, Director Sheikh Shahinul Islam, Deputy Director Md. Hafizur Rahman, Habibur Rahman, Md. Salah Uddin and Sharif Ahmed. The latter two are under investigation.

According to the case source, the ACC has filed 8 separate charge sheets against ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana’s family members, former state minister Sharif Ahmed, former private secretary to the prime minister Salahuddin and 14 officials of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works after finding evidence of allocating 60 katha plots in Purbachal. The cases were filed against them on January 12, 13 and 14.

The charges against the accused — while they were the highest office bearers and public servants of the government, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family were misappropriated the power vested in them and were allotted 6 plots in Sector 27, Road No. 203, Purbachal Housing Project, despite not being eligible for the allocation. A case has been filed against the accused under Sections 161/163/164/409/109 of the Penal Code, 1860 and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.

Noted that after ruling the country for a decade and a half, Awami League president Sheikh Hasina left the post of Prime Minister on August 5 and took refuge in India following a student-mass uprising. She has been there since then.