A Dhaka court has issued newspaper notices summoning 23 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and close family members, to appear in court in connection with five separate corruption cases related to illegal plot allocations.
The order was passed by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Ghalib on Tuesday (July 1) following a hearing. The court fixed July 20 as the date for submitting the report on these notices, according to Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam.
The ACC prosecutor explained that six corruption cases regarding plot allocations were scheduled for hearing that day. While the court had already ordered the publication of a gazette notice in one case on June 17, it was reported that the gazette had not yet been published. For the remaining five cases, reports confirmed that the accused were absconding. Consequently, the ACC requested newspaper notices to summon the accused to court, which the judge approved.
Those named in the notices include Sheikh Hasina’s son, ICT advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy; daughter, WHO regional director candidate Saima Wazed Putul; sister Sheikh Rehana; Rehana’s daughter and British MP Tulip Rizwana Siddique; Azmina Siddique Ruponti; and Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddique Bobby.
Other officials named include National Housing and Public Works Secretary Shahid Ullah Khandaker, Additional Secretary Kazi Washi Uddin, Administrative Officer Saiful Islam Sarkar, Senior Assistant Secretary Purabi Golder, former RAJUK Chairman Anisur Rahman Miah, former RAJUK members Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Kabir Al Asad, Tanmoy Das, Nurul Islam, and Mohammad Nasir Uddin, as well as Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Director Sheikh Shahinul Islam, Deputy Directors Hafizur Rahman and Habibur Rahman, former State Minister Sharif Ahmed, and former Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Salahuddin.
The cases stem from allegations of irregularities in the allocation of six plots under the Purbachal New Town project in the names of Hasina and her family members. Following the popular student-led uprising that ousted the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, Sheikh Hasina fled to India, and the rest of her family is also reportedly outside Bangladesh.
The ACC launched an investigation last December into these alleged plot allocation irregularities and filed six cases in phases. Charge sheets have been submitted, and arrest warrants issued as the accused remain fugitives. On June 17, the court ordered a gazette notice for 12 accused, including Sheikh Hasina, in one of the cases. This week’s court order extends the notice issuance to the remaining five cases, mandating their appearance in court through formal publication in newspapers.
These legal proceedings form part of Bangladesh’s ongoing accountability drive following last year’s regime change, as authorities continue to investigate corruption allegations against members of the former ruling party and senior bureaucrats.
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