Gazette published summoning Hasina, 99 others in Purbachal graft case

A gazette has been published summoning 100 individuals, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, and Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, to appear before the court in connection with six separate cases over allegations of abusing power in the allocation of 60 kathas of government plots in the Purbachal New Town Project.

The gazette, signed by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib on 3 July, was published by the Bangladesh Government Press (BG Press).

The accused mentioned in the schedule are hereby informed that warrants of arrest have already been issued for them and the court has reasonable grounds to believe that they have gone into hiding to evade arrest and trial, and there is no likelihood of their immediate arrest, according to the gazette.

Therefore, under Section 6(13) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1958, the accused have been ordered to appear before the court by the next scheduled date, otherwise, the trial will proceed in their absence, it said.

On 1 July, Judge Zakir Hossain Galib ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to issue a gazette notification summoning 100 individuals in connection with the cases. The next hearing was set to be held on 20 July.

ACC Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam said, “The court ordered the publication of a gazette in connection with six graft cases over plot allocation. It has been published by the BG Press. The cases have been scheduled for hearing on 20 July. If the accused do not appear before the court by that date, trial proceedings will begin in their absence.”

The ACC lodged the six cases between 12 and 14 January over allegations of irregularities and abuse of power in plot allocations, and submitted charge sheets on 10 March against the individuals.