Twenty-eight individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her immediate family members, and several government officials, have been indicted in six corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in land plot allocations under the Purbachal New Town Project.
The list of accused includes Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, and her daughters—UK MP Tulip Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq.
Several current and former officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) are also implicated.
On Wednesday, Dhaka Special Judge`s Court-5, presided over by Judge Abdullah Al Mamun, formally framed charges against the accused in three of the cases in their absence. As all accused have been declared fugitives, the charges could not be read out to them in court. The trial is set to begin on August 11.
Separately, Judge Md Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Special Judge`s Court-4 indicted the same individuals in three additional cases involving similar allegations.
The courts had earlier ordered the issuance of six separate gazette notifications summoning the 28 accused to appear before them. The directive followed police reports confirming the failure to arrest the individuals despite warrants issued on April 10, 13, and 15.
According to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which filed the charges on March 25, Hasina is named as a prime accused in all six cases. The commission has categorized all 28 individuals as absconders.
The cases stem from allegations that Saima Wazed, the lead accused, deliberately concealed information regarding property owned by her and her family within Rajuk’s jurisdiction. She is accused of unlawfully securing a land plot in the Purbachal project by abusing public office and colluding with 14 government officials, allegedly under the influence of Hasina.
ACC documents further allege that Hasina, in collaboration with top Rajuk officials, facilitated the illegal allotment of six 10-katha plots in Sector-27’s diplomatic zone to herself, Joy, Saima, Rehana, Bobby, and Azmina—violating existing rules and eligibility criteria.
The ACC had initiated investigations into the alleged embezzlement of Tk 80,000 crore from nine major infrastructure projects—including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant—on December 17, 2024. Five days later, the commission launched a separate probe into allegations of laundering $300 million to the United States by Hasina and Joy.
The high-profile indictments mark a dramatic turn in a series of anti-corruption actions that have followed Sheikh Hasina’s ouster from power in August 2024.
