Testimony in three corruption cases linked to the Purbachal New Town Project is set to begin on Monday, with deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter Saima Wazed Putul among the accused.
Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-5, presided over by Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, will record testimony in the cases. On 31 July, the court framed charges against 23 people, including Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and their children, paving the way for trial proceedings.
According to the schedule, testimony against Hasina, Joy, and Putul will be heard on Monday, while hearings in three other related cases involving Rehana, her son Radwan Mujib Siddiq, daughters Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmira Siddiq Ruponty have been set for 13 August.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) charges state that six plots of 10 kathas each were allocated through abuse of power, favouritism, and violation of rules. The ACC began investigating the matter in December last year and filed its first case against Putul on 12 January.
Case documents allege that allocation rules of the project were disregarded, and personal influence was used to secure benefits. The ACC claims Hasina, Rehana, and their family members misused official positions to obtain valuable plots in Purbachal. Others accused in the cases were charged after investigators found evidence of similar irregularities.
Lawyers say the start of testimony marks a significant step forward in the long-awaited trial of the high-profile “Purbachal plot scandal.”