A Dhaka court has issued arrest warrants for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and 27 others in connection with two separate corruption cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged irregularities in plot allocations in the capital’s Purbachal area.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Zakir Hossain Galib accepted the ACC’s charge sheets and issued the warrants on Tuesday, noting that the accused were absconding.
The first case names 12 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina and several officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk). The second case, filed against Sajeeb Wazed Joy, includes 17 accused — among them his mother Sheikh Hasina and more officials from the same institutions.
ACC Assistant Director Aminul Islam confirmed the court order and said April 28 has been set for submitting a report on whether the accused have been arrested.
According to the case statements, while serving as prime minister, Sheikh Hasina misused her authority by concealing information about properties owned by herself, her children, sister, and other family members in her official affidavit. Despite already having residences in Dhaka, she is accused of influencing housing ministry and Rajuk officials to unlawfully acquire a highly valuable plot — Plot 9 on Road 203 in Sector 27 of the diplomatic zone in Purbachal — in her own name. The charges fall under provisions of the Penal Code, 1860 and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
The ACC submitted the charge sheets in the first half of March.
Earlier this month, on April 10, the same court issued arrest warrants in another case against Sheikh Hasina, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and 16 others over alleged corruption in plot allocations.
On April 13, arrest warrants were issued in three additional cases against 53 people, including Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, daughter Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq, for allegedly abusing power to obtain a 30-katha plot from Rajuk.
