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A Dhaka court will begin hearing testimony against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her children Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Saima Wazed Putul in three cases over plot allocations under the Purbachal New Town Project on Monday.
Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of the Dhaka Special Judge’s Court will preside over the hearing, as per a bdnews24.com report.
Anti-Corruption Commission Counsellor Muhammad Sultan Mahmud said, “The hearings in three cases are set for today. Sheikh Hasina and 11 others are accused in one case, Sajeeb Wazed Joy and 16 others are accused in another, and Saima Wazed Putul and 17 others are accused in the last case. Warrants have been issued for their arrests as they are absconding.”
There is no opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses as the suspects are being tried in absentia, he said.
On Jul 31, two special judges' courts in Dhaka indicted ousted prime minister Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and 23 others, including their children, in six cases over corruption involving the Purbachal New Town Project and ordered the cases to trial.
Judge Mamun set Aug 11 as the date for the testimony hearing against Hasina, her son Joy, and her daughter Putul in three of the cases.
Judge Rabiul Alam of another Dhaka Special Judge's Court set Aug 13 as the date for hearing testimony against Rehana, her son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, her daughter Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq Ruponti in three more graft cases.
Aside from the members of the Sheikh family, the 23 others accused in the cases include former Public Works Department (PWD) secretary Shahid Ullah Khandaker, former additional secretary Kazi Wasi Uddin, Administrative Officer Saiful Islam Sarkar, Senior Assistant Secretary Purabi Goldar, former RAJUK Chairman Anisur Rahman Mia, former members of RAJUK Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Kabir Al Asad, Tanmoy Das, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Nurul Islam, retired army major Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, director Sheikh Shahinul Islam, deputy directors Md Hafizur Rahman and Habibur Rahman, former prime minister’s private secretary Mohammad Salah Uddin and former state minister for PWD and housing Sharif Ahmed.
Hasina has been in India since she fled the country after being ousted in a student-led mass uprising on Aug 5, 2024. The rest of her family is also abroad.
The ACC began investigating allegations of irregularities and corruption in the allocation of six plots of 10 katha (about 0.167 acres) each in the names of the Sheikh family members in the Purbachal New Town Project in December. Then, on Jan 12, the ACC filed its first case against Putul on charges of abuse of power and violation of rules in the allocation of plots. The next day, the agency filed cases against Rehana, her son Bobby, and daughter Ruponti.
On Jan 14, the ACC filed two cases against Hasina and her son Joy. The ACC has named Sheikh Hasina as a suspect in all six cases. Some other suspects have also been accused in multiple cases.
The graftbusters allege that while in the highest office of government, Hasina and her family abused their power to obtain plot allocations in their favour. Despite being ineligible, six plots were allegedly allotted to them.