Bangladesh’s Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday filed three lawsuits against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and six members of her family for irregularly obtaining land plots under the Purbachal New Town project, according to local media reports. The cases also involve 23 individuals, including officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and the Capital Development Authority, known as Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK).
These lawsuits follow investigations initiated by the ACC on December 27 over suspicions of irregular allotment of plots in Purbachal, involving Sheikh Hasina and six of her family members. According to local reporters, the ACC accused Hasina of using her power and position as PM to obtain six plots of land in the diplomatic zone of Sector 27 within the Purbachal New Town project. The beneficiaries include Hasina herself, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, her daughter Saima Wazed, her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, and her children, including a United Kingdom Member of Parliament named Tulip Siddiq. The ACC filed these lawsuits under sections 161, 163, 164, 409, and 109 of the Penal Code as well as Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The ACC’s claims suggested that Hasina, along with her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed, collaborated with RAJUK public officials to conceal their ownership of real estate in the city where the urban development project was planned. Concealing this information from authorities allowed them to acquire six plots of land in violation of existing laws and the plot allocation policy.
Additionally, several public officials were involved in this irregular land grab, including the secretary of the housing and public works ministry Shahid Ullah Khandaker, and RAJUK’s former chairman, Anisur Rahman Mia.
Relatedly, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court on Tuesday set April 10 as the date to receive the ACC’s final investigation report against the accused.
Sheikh Hasina served as Bangladesh’s prime minister from 2009 until August 2024, when she resigned and fled to India following weeks of nationwide protests. These protests opposed the country’s High Court decision to reintroduce a quota system that reserved 30 percent of government positions for Bangladesh Liberation War veterans and their descendants. The demonstrations led to violent clashes between citizens and police forces, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. Since her resignation, Hasina has faced several legal charges, including alleged crimes against humanity, corruption, and involvement in forced disappearances.