Dhaka— A Bangladesh court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for 18 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her daughter, Saima Wazed Putul, in connection with alleged corruption related to plot allotments under the Purbachal New Town Project, according to local media reports.
The warrant was issued by Dhaka’s Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain, who took cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The court has directed authorities to submit a progress report on the execution of the warrant by May 5.
In a separate case involving irregularities in plot allocation, charges have been filed against 23 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and four other family members, Prothom Alo, a leading Bangladeshi daily, reported, citing sources within the Dhaka court.
The former prime minister now faces a total of six cases over alleged misconduct in plot distribution under the Purbachal New Town Project.
Last month, a tribunal in Bangladesh also issued an arrest warrant for Hasina and four others, including former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, over alleged mass killings at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka in 2013.
In January, another special tribunal in Dhaka ordered the arrest of Hasina and 11 others in connection with cases of enforced disappearances.
Ironically, the tribunal pursuing these cases was originally established by Hasina’s own government under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
Analysts view these recent developments as a politically motivated vendetta by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. Several legal actions have been launched against Hasina and her allies since her ousting in August 2024, many of which observers claim are based on flimsy grounds.
A prominent figure in Bangladesh’s pro-democracy movement, Hasina—daughter of the nation’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—was forced to flee the country under dramatic circumstances, seeking refuge in India on August 5.
While addressing Awami League supporters via an online broadcast from India in February, Hasina accused the Yunus-led interim government of turning Bangladesh into a haven for terrorism and lawlessness. She vowed to return and deliver justice to those affected by the ongoing political turmoil.
“If Yunus himself admits he has no experience in governance, then he should step down,” she said.
“Yunus has no clue how to run a government. He dissolved all inquiry committees and let terrorists loose to slaughter civilians. They are destroying Bangladesh. We will overthrow this terrorist regime,” Hasina declared.
“I will return. The killers will face justice on Bangladeshi soil. Maybe that’s why Allah has kept me alive,” she added. (Source: IANS)
