Purbachal plot graft: Arrest warrants issued against Hasina, Rehana

A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and 21 others in three cases filed over irregularities in plot allocation in Purbachal New Town.

Rehana's daughters Tulip Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq and her son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby are among those against whom the arrest warrants were issued.

Judge Md Zakir Hossain of Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court passed the order after accepting the charges brought against them.

The court has now accepted charges against Hasina and her family members in four out of a total of six cases filed over the plot allocation irregularities, said an official of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The ACC officials showed all the 23 accused as fugitives, as they did not secure bail from any courts in the country.

The judge directed the officers-in-charge of over a dozen police stations in Dhaka and other parts of the country to submit progress reports on the execution of the arrest warrants by April 27.

On March 25, the ACC pressed charges against Hasina, Rehana, Tulip, Radwan, Azmina and 18 others in these three cases. On the same day, charges were pressed in the other three cases as well.

The ACC filed six separate cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of the six plots, each measuring 10 kathas, in the diplomatic zone of Sector-27 in the Purbachal New Town project.

Hasina has been made a common accused in all the six cases filed in connection to the irregularities.

According to ACC documents, Hasina, in collusion with senior Rajuk officials, had six plots allotted to herself, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, Rehana, Radwan, Bobby, and Tulip and Azmina, in violation of rules.

On April 10, the same court issued arrest warrants against 18 people, including Hasina and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, in one of the cases over the plot allocation irregularities.

The court is scheduled to pass an order on April 15 on whether it would take cognisance of the charges in the two remaining cases.