Six more witnesses have testified in the three cases filed against 47 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul, over irregularities in the allocation of plots in the RAJUK Purbachal New Town Project.
The six witnesses are Sonali Bank Senior Principal Officer (Gonobhaban branch) Gautam Kumar Sikder, Sonali Bank Principal Officer (Gonobhaban branch) Md Shariful Islam, Tax Circle Senior Assistant Md Lutfar Rahman, Tax Circle Computer Operator Md Rezaul Haque, Tax Circle Notice Server Md Abu Taher, and Office Assistant Delwar Hossain.
The six witnesses submitted their depositions at the Dhaka Special Judge Court-5. After examining the witnesses, Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun adjourned the hearing of the three cases till September 17, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) public prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam told BSS.
Earlier, on 26 August, seven seizure list witnesses had testified in the case. The witnesses were Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) deputy directors Dhiraj Chandra Barman and Mahbubar Rahman, ACC assistant directors Ashim Shil, Ullash Chowdhury and Sourav Das, Ministry of Housing and Public Works Administrative Officer Akter Jahan and its office assistant Shafikul Islam.
Plaintiffs of the three cases, ACC Deputy Director Salahuddin, Assistant Directors Afnan Jannat Keya and SM Rashedul Hasan, submitted their depositions at the court on 11 August.
The court on July 31 framed charges in the cases. It also issued arrest warrants against the accused as they were still at large.
Apart from this court, the Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 on the same day had framed charges in three more cases filed in this connection. It fixed August 13 for starting to record the testimonies in the cases and issued arrest warrants against the accused.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib forwarded the matters to the Special Judge Court on 20 July as the cases were ready for trial. The court passed the order as the accused refrained from appearing before the court in spite of its order in this connection.
Earlier on 1 July, the court ordered publication of a gazette notification summoning 100 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, in the cases.
The ACC filed the six cases from January 12 to January 14, 2025. The concerned investigation officers filed charge sheets on March 10.
ACC Deputy Director Md Salahuddin filed one case against eight, including Sheikh Hasina, on January 14 for abusing power in allocating a 10-katha plot in the Purbachal New Town Project. Investigation officer and ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya submitted the charge sheet against a total of 12 accused.
ACC Assistant Director SM Rashedul Hasan filed the other case against 15, including Sheikh Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, on the same day, in this connection. The charge sheet was submitted against 17.
ACC Deputy Director Md Salahuddin filed another case against 15 people on 13 January 2025, including Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, Rehana's son Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and daughters - Tulip Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq - on charges of abusing power to obtain plots from RAJUK. The ACC later submitted the charge sheet against 17.
The anti-graft body on the same day filed another case against 16, including Sheikh Hasina, Tulip Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq. The ACC later submitted a charge sheet against 18.
It also filed another case against Radwan Mujib Siddiq and 15 others on January 13. The anti-graft body later submitted a charge sheet against 18.
ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya, on January 12, filed another case against 16 people, including Sheikh Hasina and Saima Wazed Putul. The commission later filed a charge sheet against 18 in this case.
Comments