A Dhaka court on Sunday ordered the publication of a gazette notification for Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, a British lawmaker and niece of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and one other individual to appear before it in connection with a corruption case.
Judge Md Shabbir Fayez of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court passed the order. The other accused in the case is Sardar Mosharraf Hossain, a former assistant law adviser of the Capital Development Authority (RAJUK).
The court’s decision followed a police report stating that the accused could not be arrested. According to Bench Assistant Riaz Hossain, the court has set March 29 as the next date for the submission of the report.
Earlier, on February 18, the same court issued arrest warrants against the duo as they were absconding after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) charge sheet was taken into account.
On 26 February, the court directed the issuance of a Red Notice for Tulip Siddiq following an application by the ACC.
The case was originally filed on April 15 last year by ACC Assistant Director Monirul Islam. The allegations state that the accused, through mutual collusion and abuse of power, illegally registered a flat in Gulshan-2 from Eastern Housing Limited without making any payment.
While the case initially included former RAJUK assistant law adviser Shah Md Khosruzzaman, he obtained a three-month stay on his investigation from the High Court in July last year.
Consequently, ACC Assistant Director AKM Mortuza Ali Sagor submitted the charge sheet specifically against Tulip Siddiq and Sardar Mosharraf Hossain on January 13.
It is noteworthy that Tulip Siddiq has previously been sentenced to six years of imprisonment – comprising two years each in three separate cases – regarding fraud in plot allotments.
