Arrest Warrants Issued Against Sheikh Hasina, Her Son, and Others in Purbachal Plot Allocation Scam

In a significant legal development, a Dhaka court has issued arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and 16 others in connection with alleged irregularities in the allocation of residential plots in the Purbachal New Town project. The warrants were issued on Monday by Judge Md Zakir Hossain of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court, following the formal acceptance of charges in two specific cases.

Among the accused are senior officials, including Purabi Goldar, a senior assistant secretary, and Anisur Rahman Mia, a Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) official. The court has directed law enforcement officers across various police stations in Dhaka and other regions to report on the execution of these warrants by April 29.

According to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which initiated the investigation, the 18 individuals named in the cases are considered fugitives, as none have appeared before the court or obtained bail. The charges allege that Hasina, in collusion with senior Rajuk officials, facilitated the allocation of six plots in the diplomatic zone of Sector-27 in Purbachal, each measuring 10 kathas, in violation of government regulations.

The plots were allegedly allotted to Hasina herself, her son Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, younger sister Sheikh Rehana, and Rehana’s children—Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, Azmina Siddiq, and UK MP Tulip Siddiq. The ACC maintains that this distribution reflects serious misuse of power and favoritism, breaching established procedures for land allotment.

This is not the first time the court has acted in relation to the scandal. On April 10, arrest warrants were issued against Hasina and 17 others, including Saima Wazed, in one of the six total cases. A few days later, on April 13, similar warrants were issued in three more cases, implicating Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, and 21 others.

Hasina has been named as a prime accused in all six cases tied to the alleged plot scam. The ACC filed charges in all six cases on March 25, marking a coordinated effort to address what it describes as blatant corruption in one of the capital’s largest urban development projects.