A special court in Dhaka on Sunday issued an arrest warrant against 53 accused, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, Rehana's daughter British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq and son Radwan Mujib Siddiq, in three corruption cases.
Judge of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court Md Jakir Hossain passed the order after taking the charge sheets of the cases into cognisance.
According to the case statements, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) recently submitted three separate charge sheets against total 53 accused in three cases filed on charges of corruption in Rajuk's plot allocation.
Since all the accused, including Sheikh Hasina, are fugitive, the court ordered the issuance of arrest warrants against them after taking the charge sheets into its cognisance.
The other accused are Azmina Siddique, Ministry of Housing and Public Works Administrative Officer Md Saiful Islam Sarkar, Senior Assistant Secretary Purobi Goldar, Md Oli Ullah, Additional Secretary Qazi Wasi Uddin, former Rajuk Chairman's Personal Assistant Md Anisur Rahman Miah, former Rajuk Member Mohammad Khurshid Alam and Tanmoy Das.
The list also included Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Major (retd) Samsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Md Nurul Islam, Mazharul Islam, Md Kamrul Islam, Nayeb Ali Sharif, Sheikh Shahinul Islam, then Prime Minister's Personal Secretary-1 Mohammad Salahuddin, former State Minister Sharif Ahmed, Md Shahid Ullah Khandoker and Faria Sultana.
Earlier on April 10 this year, the same court issued an arrest warrant against 18 people, including Sheikh Hasina and her daughter Saima Wazed (Putul), in another corruption case.
The ACC started its enquiry on December 26 in 2024 into an allegation of irregularities in allocation of plots at Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) Purbachal New Town Project.
Later, the ACC filed six cases against Sheikh Hasina and others as it found primary evidences over the allegations.
Earlier on March 10, the ACC approved six charge sheets in separate cases against Hasina, Rehana, their family members and others on charges of allocating 60 katha plots in Purbachal through irregularities and abuse of power. According to the complaint, Sheikh Hasina allegedly misused her authority for political considerations in collusion with Rajuk senior officials.
Through irregularities and corruption, she is accused of allocating six plots, each measuring 10 kathas and totalling 60 kathas, on Road No. 203 in the diplomatic zone of Sector 27 of the Purbachal New Town Project.
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