A Dhaka court on Tuesday ordered the authorities concerned to publish a gazette notification, asking former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 11 others to appear before it in a case filed over the alleged misuse of power to get a 10-katha government plot in the Purbachal New City project.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib passed the order, fixing July 1 for the submission of a report in the plot allocation scam case.
Mir Ahmed Ali Salam, prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), confirmed the news, saying that today (June 17) was the date for hearing in six cases.
“Police are yet to submit reports on the arrest of the accused in five of these cases. In another case, a report has been submitted, stating that Sheikh Hasina and 11 others have been fugitive.”
The prosecutor also said they requested the court to publish a gazette notification to summon the accused. The court granted the petition and ordered the publication of the notification through the Bangladesh Government Press (BG Press).
However, the court fixed July 1 for the hearing in the six cases.
ACC Deputy Director Salahuddin filed the case on 14 January 2025, accusing the former premier and seven others of misusing power to get a 10-katha plot in the Purbachal project.
Following the investigation, ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya submitted a charge sheet on March 10, adding four more accused.
Other accused are former Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Purobi Goldar, former personal assistant to the then RAJUK Chairman Md Anisur Rahman Miah, its deputy director Nayeb Ali Sharif, former RAJUK members Shafiul Haque, Khurshid Alam, Md Nasir Uddin and Major (Retd) Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, former State Minister for Housing and Public Works Sharif Ahmed, its Secretaries Kazi Wasi Uddin and Shahid Ullah Khandaker.
The ACC filed six separate cases last January on allegations of corruption in plot allocation.
Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, sister Sheikh Rehana, Rehana’s daughter Tulip Rizwana Siddique, son Radwan Mujib Siddique and another daughter Azmina Siddique, among many others, were accused in the cases.
Charge sheets in all the cases have been submitted before the court which issued warrants for the arrest of the fugitive accused.