A Dhaka court has adjourned the hearing till 10 November in three cases filed against 47 individuals, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, over alleged irregularities in RAJUK plot allocations
Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 issued the order after defence lawyers were unable to complete the cross-examination of the investigation officers in two of the cases.
During Thursday’s proceedings, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya, the investigation officer in the case against 12 accused including Hasina, and ACC Assistant Director SM Rashedul Hasan, IO in another case against 17 accused including Hasina and Joy, were questioned by the defence.
However, the cross-examinations remained incomplete as the court session ended.
Afnan Jannat Keya, who is also leading the probe in the third case against 18 individuals, including Hasina and Saima Wazed Putul, was scheduled to testify later in the day but could not do so due to time constraints.
To date, 79 prosecution witnesses have given statements across the three pending cases.
On 31 July, the Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 framed charges in three of the six cases and issued arrest warrants against the accused. On the same day, Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 framed charges in the remaining three cases.
Earlier, on 20 July, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib sent the cases to the trial courts, noting that the accused failed to appear despite repeated summons.
On 1 July, the court ordered a gazette notification summoning 100 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed six separate cases between 12 and 14 January, 2025, submitting charge-sheets in all of them on 10 March.
According to the case records, ACC Deputy Director Md Salahuddin filed the first case on 14 January against eight people, including Hasina, over the alleged illegal allocation of a 10-katha plot in Purbachal. The charge-sheet later named 12 accused.
That same day, ACC Assistant Director SM Rashedul Hasan lodged a second case against 15 individuals, including Hasina and Joy, which later expanded to 17 accused in the charge-sheet.
On 13 January, Salahuddin filed another case against 15 accused, including Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Radwan Mujib Siddiq, Tulip Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq, later increasing the number to 17. A separate case filed the same day accused 16 people, including Hasina, Tulip, and Azmina Siddiq, with 18 eventually charged.
Another case was brought against Radwan Mujib and 15 others, with 18 accused listed in the charge-sheet. The sixth case, filed on January 12 by Afnan Jannat Keya, accused 16 people, including Hasina and Saima Wazed Putul, later expanded to 18 accused.
The next hearing is scheduled for November 10, when the court is expected to resume cross-examinations and continue witness testimonies.
