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Published : 10 Mar 2025, 05:39 PM
The Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, has brought charges against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana and their children in six cases involving the alleged abuse of power and irregularities surrounding the allocation of 60 katha of plots under a housing project in Dhaka's Purbachal.
The chargesheets against them were approved on Monday and will be submitted to the court soon, according to ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain.
The other individuals implicated in the cases are Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, her daughter Saima Wazed, along with Rehana’s three children, Tulip Siddiq, Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq.
Of the six cases, two were filed against Hasina and her son Joy on Jan 14.
During Hasina's tenure as prime minister, Joy served as an unpaid ICT advisor.
In Hasina's case, a total of eight people, including officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, or RAJUK, have been named as accused.
The ACC official said the Awami League chief allegedly abused her power as prime minister to secure a plot for herself and her son on Road No. 203 of the diplomatic zone of Sector No. 27 under the Purbachal New Town project.
After the anti-graft agency found evidence of irregularities in the plot allocation, they proceeded with the charges.
Before filing the cases against Hasina and Joy, the ACC lodged its first case on Jan 12 against former UK City minister Tulip over the abuse of power and irregularities regarding plot allocation.
On Jan 13, the graft watchdog filed another case against Rehana, her son Radwan, and her daughter Azmina.
Tulip, another of Rehana's daughters, was also implicated in the case against her family.
Hasina has also been named as an accused in these cases.
SEVEN MORE ACCUSED IN HASINA’S CASE
The ACC named the following individuals as accused in the case against former prime minister Hasina:
CASES AGAINST JOY
The ACC brought charges against Joy, along with 13 others, in connection with irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal New Town Project.
Key accused include senior officials from the housing and public works ministry and RAJUK.
According to the First Information Reports, or FIRs, of the two cases, former prime minister Hasina concealed the fact that she and her family — including her son, daughter, sister, and her sister's children — already owned residential properties in Dhaka.
Despite this, she secured a plot in Purbachal, violating the allocation laws and regulations.
The ACC alleged that Hasina misused her authority by influencing officials from her office, the housing ministry, and RAJUK to facilitate the unlawful allocation of the plots.
MORE ACCUSED IN PUTUL’S CASE
The ACC also implicated 14 others in the case against Putul, including senior officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and RAJUK.
Among the accused are the ministry’s Administrative Officer Saiful Islam, Senior Assistant Secretary Purbi, and former RAJUK chairman Anisur Rahman Mia.
ACCUSED IN REHANA’S CASE
In the case against Rehana, 15 people have been named as accused.
Among them are her daughter Tulip, Hasina, and officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and RAJUK.
Upon reviewing documents from RAJUK, the ministry, and other departments, the anti-graft agency found that Rehana had disclosed ownership of a flat in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha in her income tax return.
She had also reported owning 160 decimal of agricultural land in Konabari in her tax return.
Rehana’s son Radwan said he had received three flats in Gulshan from his mother as a gift.
Both he and his sister Rupanti had been allocated 10-katha plots each in the Purbachal New Town Project.
However, these details were reportedly concealed during the plot allocation process.
According to the case details, Tulip allegedly applied pressure on Hasina to secure the plots for her mother, Rehana, and her siblings.
Hasina, in turn, allegedly ordered RAJUK’s chairman through the Ministry of Housing and Public Works to facilitate the allocation.
The ACC has indicated that there is evidence of regulatory violations in the plot allocation process.
ACCUSED IN RADWAN’S CASE
In the case against Radwan, 16 people have been named as accused.
Among them are his sister Tulip, his aunt Hasina, and several officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and RAJUK.
According to the case details, Radwan disclosed in his income tax return that he received five flats in Gulshan from his uncle Tarique Ahmed Siddique.
In addition, he mentioned that his mother and sister had plots in Purbachal, and so did Hasina and her children.
However, these details were not disclosed during the plot allocation process, which allegedly violated laws and regulations related to the Purbachal New Town Project.
The case further indicates that Redwan's sister Tulip applied pressure on her aunt Hasina, who then influenced officials at the ministry and RAJUK to secure the plot in his nephew’s name.
AZMINA’S CASE
Azmina's case involves 16 accused, including her brother Radwan, sister Tulip, her aunt Hasina, and several officials from the housing and public works ministry and RAJUK.
According to the case details, Azmina disclosed in her income tax return that she received a flat in Gulshan from her older sister Tulip.
It was also revealed that her mother and brother owned plots in Purbachal, and so did Hasina and her children.
However, these details were reportedly omitted during the plot allocation process, raising concerns over legal violations regarding the Purbachal project.
The case also suggests that Tulip pressured Hasina into influencing the allocation of the plot in Azmina’s name.
The Hasina-led Awami League regime was ousted during a mass uprising on Aug 5, 2024. On the same day, she fled to India, and the rest of her family has since remained outside the country.
Subsequently, on Dec 26, 2024, the ACC launched an investigation into allegations of irregularities and corruption involving the allocation of six plots in the Purbachal.
The plots were reportedly allocated in the names of the former prime minister and five members of her family.
According to the documents reviewed by the ACC, Hasina was granted a 10-katha (plot no. 009) on Aug 3, 2022, with the allotment letter issued in her name by RAJUK.
Joy’s allotment letter was issued on Oct 24, 2022, with the ownership finalised on Nov 10, 2024. Meanwhile, Saima’s allocation was confirmed on Nov 2, 2024.
Similarly, her son Joy (plot no. 015), and daughter Saima (plot no. 017) received 10-katha each.
Rehana secured 10-katha (plot no. 013), while her children, Radwan (plot no. 011) and Azmina (plot no. 019) were also allocated 10-katha each.
The allegations came under heightened scrutiny last year when the High Court formed a three-strong committee to examine potential irregularities in the allocation of Purbachal plots to Hasina and six members of her family.
The committee was also tasked with investigating broader allegations of favouritism in RAJUK plot allocations spanning the Awami League’s tenure from 2009 to 2024.
