The court in Bangladesh has issued arrest warrants against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, British MP Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, and 50 others for alleged illegal land acquisition through abuse of political power. The warrants were issued after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed three separate chargesheets.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain issued the arrest warrants and set April 27 as the date to review the execution of the orders. The ACC had recently submitted chargesheets against 53 individuals in three separate cases related to corruption in plot allocation. As all the accused, including Sheikh Hasina, were missing, arrest warrants were issued against them.
This is not the first time Sheikh Hasina and her family members have faced corruption charges. Earlier, on April 10, arrest warrants were issued against Sheikh Hasina, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and 17 others in a separate corruption case related to Rajuk plot allotments. Putul, who currently serves as the South East Asian regional director for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in New Delhi, was also named in the case.
In another case, Sheikh Rehana was accused of acquiring a 10-katha plot in the Purbachal New Town Project through abuse of authority. The case named 15 accused, including Sheikh Hasina and Rehana’s daughter Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, a British lawmaker. The ACC submitted chargesheets against 17 individuals in this case.
Additional cases were filed against Azmina Siddiq and Radwan Mujib Siddiq, both accused of irregularities in acquiring plots using political influence. Sheikh Hasina was named in these cases as well. The former prime minister is also facing charges of mass murders, crimes against humanity, and enforced disappearances.
Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League regime was overthrown in a student-led uprising last year, and she has been living in India since then. The legal proceedings against her and her family members highlight the ongoing fight against corruption in Bangladesh.
Please note that the information provided in this article is based on a syndicated feed and has not been edited by NDTV staff.
