The case also accuses Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, and niece Azmina Siddiq Ruponti
Published : 13 Jan 2025, 03:30 PM
The Anti-Corruption Commission has filed three cases against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's sister Sheikh Rehana, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, and niece Azmina Siddiq Ruponti on charges of attaining allocated plots in Dhaka’s Purbachal through “misuse of power and irregularities”.
ACC Director General (Prevention) Akhtar Hossain informed the media of the decision on Monday.
The ACC had previously accused Hasina and her daughter, Saima Wazed Putul, of receiving plot allocations through irregularities.
Akhtar said that the ACC is investigating allegations against former prime minister Hasina in the allocation of six plots measuring 60-katha, or 99 decimal in total, in the Sector 27 of Purbachal New Town project to herself and five other family members through abuse of power, irregularities, and corruption. The ACC filed three cases under the Corruption Prevention Act 1947 after it found evidence of "abuse of power" in the allocation of the plots.
The case filed against Rehana also names 15 others including Hasina, Rehana’s daughter British MP Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, Ministry of Housing and Public Works, and officers from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha or RAJUK.
The cases against Bobby and Ruponti included 16 other suspects in each.
British MP Tulip influenced deposed prime minister for the Purbachal New Town plot allotment, Akhtar said. The ACC secured enough proof in this regard, he said.
Earlier on Sunday, the ACC prosecuted Hasina and her daughter Putul for “hiding information and abusing authority” to allocate plots in Purbachal.
The Awami League government, led by Hasina, was ousted during a mass uprising on Aug 5, 2024. On the same day, she fled to India, and the rest of her family has since remained outside the country.
Subsequently, on Dec 26, 2024, the ACC launched an investigation into allegations of irregularities and corruption involving the allocation of six plots in the Purbachal New Town project. The plots were reportedly allocated in the names of the former prime minister and five members of her family.
The plots, located around Road No. 203 of the diplomatic zone of Sector No. 27, were allocated to Hasina, her son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy, her daughter Putul, her younger sister Rehana, and two children Bobby and Ruponti.
According to the documents reviewed by the ACC, Hasina was granted a 10-katha (plot no. 009) on Aug 3, 2022, with the allotment letter issued in her name by RAJUK.
Similarly, her son Joy (plot no. 015), and daughter Putul (plot no. 017) received 10-katha each.
Joy’s allotment letter was issued on Oct 24, 2022, with the ownership finalised on Nov 10, 2024. Meanwhile, Putul’s allocation was confirmed on Nov 2, 2024.
Rehana secured 10-katha (plot no. 013), while her children, Bobby (plot no. 011) and Ruponti (plot no. 019) were also allocated 10-katha each.
The allegations came under heightened scrutiny last year when the High Court formed a three-member committee to examine potential irregularities in the allocation of Purbachal plots to Hasina and six members of her family.
The committee was also tasked with investigating broader allegations of irregularities in RAJUK plot allocations spanning the Awami League’s tenure from 2009 to 2024.