Engage Interpol to issue arrest warrant against Saima Wazed, orders Dhaka court

A Dhaka court has ordered the authorities concerned to engage Interpol and have it issue an arrest warrant against Saima Wazed Putul, the daughter of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in a case related to corruption over plot allocation.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain issued the order today (27 April) following a petition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Earlier, on 10 April, the same court issued arrest warrants against 18 individuals, including Hasina and Saima, in connection with the case filed over the allocation of a 10-katha plot through fraud in the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) Purbachal New Town Project.

That day, the court issued the warrants after accepting the formal charge sheet submitted by the ACC in the case. The anti-graft watchdog filed the case on 12 January.

According to the chargesheet filed on 10 March, Saima allegedly influenced her mother to allocate a plot by bypassing legal procedures.

"Saima Wazed Putul, with malicious intent, illegally influenced her mother, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and filed an application to her mother rather than to Rajuk, violating the laws, rules, policies and legal procedures regarding the allocation of plots in the Purbachal New City Housing Project.

"She had done that despite the fact that she and her family members owned a house or flat or housing facility in the area under the jurisdiction of Rajuk in Dhaka city," said Investigation Officer and ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya in the chargesheet.

On 13 April, the same Dhaka court issued arrest warrants for Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, Rehana's son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby and daughters Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and 48 others in three separate cases filed over alleged abuse of power in acquiring plots at the same urban development project.

On 15 April, that court also issued arrest warrants against Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and 27 others in two separate cases filed by ACC over alleged irregularities in acquiring plots at the same project.

In both instances, the court issued the warrants after taking into cognisance the charge sheets submitted by the ACC in the cases.

Earlier, on 26 December last year, ACC launched an inquiry against Hasina and her immediate family members over allegations of illegally acquiring government plots spanning 60 kathas at Purbachal.

In January, ACC filed six separate cases against all of them and dozens of others, including former and current officials of Rajuk and the government.