The verdict in a corruption case against 17 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and her niece Tulip Siddiq, will be delivered on 1 December.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case over allegations that 10 kathas of land in the Purbachal New Town Project were illegally allocated to Sheikh Rehana.
Judge Md Rabiul Alam Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 fixed the date after hearing final arguments from both the prosecution and the defence on Tuesday, said Belal Hossain, bench assistant of the court.
Witnesses testified that Sheikh Hasina, while serving as prime minister, allegedly misused her authority to facilitate the land allocation.
According to investigators, Sheikh Rehana requested a plot from Hasina during a period when the former premier was overseeing land allocations for her own family members.
Prosecutors claim Hasina subsequently directed Rajuk to allocate the plot, allegedly using her executive powers improperly.
Rehana later obtained ownership of the land through what the ACC alleges was a false affidavit. These accusations underpin the corruption charges brought against a total of 17 individuals.
Throughout the trial, ACC lawyers presented testimony from 32 witnesses, along with alleged illegal directives, forged documents, and other evidence. After reviewing submissions from both sides, the court set 1 December as the date for delivering the verdict.
Testimony also suggested that British MP Tulip Siddiq pressured the then-prime minister to secure a plot for her mother. Although Tulip did not receive a plot herself, the ACC has named her as one of the accused.
The only defendant currently in custody, former Rajuk official Khurshid Alam, argued through his lawyer that he acted under instructions from senior authorities and had no choice but to comply.
Meanwhile, on 23 November Special Judge’s Court–5 had fixed November 27 for delivering verdicts in three other corruption cases filed against 23 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
According to the prosecution, trials in two additional graft cases which were filed against 21 individuals, among them Hasina, her nieces Azmina Siddiq and Tulip Siddiq, and her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, remain ongoing at Special Judge’s Court–4.
The ACC filed six separate cases last January with its Dhaka Integrated District Office-1 over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal New Town Project. The verdict date has now been set for one of these cases.
