Court orders seizure of Saima Wazed's Gulshan flat

A Dhaka court has ordered the attachment of a flat in Gulshan owned by Saima Wazed Putul, the daughter of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Ghalib issued the order on Tuesday in response to a petition by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), according to the agency's spokesperson Akhtarul Islam.

The Gulshan flat is valued at Tk 5.7 million, the anti-graft watchdog said in the petition.

“Saima Wazed Putul is trying to transfer or dispose of the immovable asset. If the property is transferred before the settlement of the case, it could undermine the investigation," it said.

In the interest of a proper investigation, it is necessary to seize the flat to prevent Saima from transferring or changing ownership of the property until the inquiry is completed, the ACC added.

On Mar 11, a Dhaka court ordered the seizure of "Sudha Sadan", the Dhanmondi residence of Hasina, who fled to India in the face of a mass uprising in August last year. The property was registered in the name of her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima.

The court also ordered the seizure of land with houses constructed on it and eight flats registered in the name of Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana, and Rehana’s children, Tulip Siddiq and Radwan Mujib Siddiq.

The assets are valued at Tk 85.2 million. The court also ordered the freezing of 124 bank accounts belonging to Hasina and her associates.

On Mar 4, as many as 14 accounts linked to the Shuchona Foundation, which is headed by Saima, were frozen.

On Mar 18, the court ordered the freezing of 31 bank accounts belonging to Hasina, Rehana, Joy, Putul and their cohorts. These bank accounts contain Tk 3.94 billion.

On Apr 9, bank accounts containing Tk 161.2 million belonging to Hasina, Rehana, Joy, Saima and those aligned with them were frozen.