A Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court has issued arrest warrants for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her daughter Saima Wazed over alleged corruption involving the illegal allotment of land in the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk)’s Purbachal New Town Project.
The court, presided over by Judge Md Zakir Hossain, issued the warrants on Thursday after accepting the charge sheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on January 12, 2025. A total of 18 people have been named in the case.
This is the first corruption-related arrest warrant against Sheikh Hasina since her government was ousted on August 5, 2024, amid a mass uprising. Hasina has since fled to India, where she is reportedly taking shelter.
Allegations and ACC Findings
The case accuses Saima Wazed of receiving a 10-katha plot in violation of Rajuk’s regulations, aided by her mother’s influence and misuse of office. The ACC alleges that in September 2022, Sheikh Hasina abused her authority by sending a letter through her office to the Housing and Public Works Ministry, requesting a land allotment for Saima.
The request bypassed the standard application process. Saima did not apply within the public timeframe nor in the prescribed manner. Furthermore, the official list of allotment recipients did not include her name, violating transparency norms.
The Rajuk rules prohibit allotting plots to individuals or families who already own property within the jurisdiction — a condition reportedly ignored in Saima’s case.
The case also implicates 16 other government officials and aides, including:
Former housing secretary Md Shahid Ullah Khandaker
Former Rajuk chairman Md Anisur Rahman Miah
Hasina’s former personal secretary Mohammad Salahuddin
Former state minister for housing Sharif Ahmed
They are accused of facilitating the illegal allotment and breaching public trust.
Next Legal Steps
The court has ordered police to submit a report on the execution of the arrest warrants by May 4, 2025. According to ACC prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam, all 18 accused are currently absconding.
The case stems from an ACC investigation launched in December 2024, focusing on six allegedly illegal plot allotments granted to Sheikh Hasina’s family members in the Purbachal project.
The investigation continues as this case marks a dramatic development in post-government accountability for high-level corruption in Bangladesh.
