Dhaka: A Dhaka court has adjourned hearings until November 10 in three cases involving 47 individuals, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members, over alleged irregularities in RAJUK plot allocations. The adjournment was ordered by Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun due to the defense’s inability to complete the cross-examination of investigation officers in two of the cases.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya, who is the investigation officer in the case against 12 accused including Hasina, and ACC Assistant Director SM Rashedul Hasan, investigation officer in the case against 17 accused including Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, were cross-examined by the defense. However, the cross-examinations were not completed within the court session.
Afnan Jannat Keya, also responsible for investigating the case involving 18 accused including Hasina and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, was scheduled to testify, but proceedings in the other two cases occupied the entire court session. To date, 79 prosecution witnesses have testified in the three cases.
The Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 framed charges in three of the six cases and issued arrest warrants against the accused on July 31, coinciding with the Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 framing charges in the remaining cases. Earlier, on July 20, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib sent the cases to trial courts after the accused failed to appear in court despite repeated orders.
On July 1, the court ordered a gazette notification summoning 100 accused, including Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. The ACC filed the six cases between January 12 and 14, 2025, and submitted charge-sheets for all cases on March 10.
Case documents reveal that ACC Deputy Director Md Salahuddin filed the first case on January 14 against eight accused, including Hasina, regarding the allocation of a 10-katha plot in Purbachal, with a charge-sheet later submitted against 12 people. On the same day, ACC Assistant Director SM Rashedul Hasan filed a second case against 15 accused, including Hasina and Joy, with the charge-sheet listing 17 accused.
On January 13, Salahuddin filed another case against 15 people, including Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Radwan Mujib, Tulip Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq, with the charge-sheet naming 17 accused. Another case filed the same day accused 16 people, including Hasina, Tulip Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq, with the charge-sheet listing 18 accused. Additionally, a case was filed against Radwan Mujib and 15 others, with the charge-sheet naming 18 accused.
On January 12, ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya filed a case against 16 people, including Hasina and Saima Wazed Putul, with the charge-sheet naming 18 accused.