Bangladesh court issues arrest warrants for ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, 50 others in graft cases

Dhaka: A court in Bangladesh on Sunday issued arrest warrants for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, British MP Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, and 50 others in a series of corruption cases concerning alleged illegal land acquisitions.

The warrants were issued by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain after reviewing three separate charge sheets submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), according to the Dhaka Tribune.

ACC Assistant Director (Prosecution) Aminul Islam said the court set 27 April as the date to assess the execution status of the warrants.

All accused declared absconding

As per court sources quoted by Prothom Alo, the ACC filed charge sheets against 53 individuals in three different corruption cases involving land plot allocations. Since none of the accused appeared in court, all were declared absconding, prompting the judge to issue arrest orders.

This development follows another set of arrest warrants issued on 10 April by the same court against Hasina, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and 17 others in a separate case related to land plots allocated by Rajuk, Dhaka’s development authority.

Putul, Hasina’s daughter, has been working as the WHO’s South-East Asia Regional Director based in New Delhi since 1 November 2023.

Details of the corruption cases

On 13 January, the ACC lodged a case against Sheikh Rehana for the alleged illegal purchase of a 10-katha plot in the Purbachal New Town Project, using undue influence. That case included 15 accused, among them Rehana, Sheikh Hasina, and Rehana’s daughter, Tulip Siddiq. Notably, Rehana has never held an official government post.

After investigation, the ACC submitted a revised charge sheet on 10 March listing 17 accused, including two new names.

A second case focused on Azmina Siddiq, accused of acquiring a similar-sized plot in Purbachal through improper means. The initial list of 16 accused included Sheikh Hasina and Tulip Siddiq. The final charge sheet added two more, bringing the total to 18.

In a third case, filed the same day, Sheikh Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq was named as a key accused for using political connections to obtain land. Again, Hasina and Tulip Siddiq were listed among the original 16 individuals, with the final charge sheet naming 18.

Further charges and background

In addition to the corruption charges, Sheikh Hasina faces other serious accusations filed with Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal. These include allegations of mass killings, crimes against humanity, and enforced disappearances.

Hasina's government, led by the Awami League for 16 years, was overthrown on 5 August last year following a massive student-led uprising. Since then, the 77-year-old former leader has reportedly been residing in India.

PTI