Hasina gets 21 year, Joy and Putul 5 Years in Plot Scam Cases

Bangladesh: A Dhaka court has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to a total of 21 years in prison—seven years in each of three separate cases—for corruption related to the illegal allocation of plots in the Purbachal New Town Project by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK).

This is the second conviction of Sheikh Hasina as the International Crimes Tribunal-1  sentenced her to death on November 17 in  a crimes against humanity case stemming from the July Uprising.

In the plot scam case, the court also convicted and sentenced her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter, Saima Wazed Putul, to five years in prison each in two of the separate cases. Joy was also fined Tk 100,000 (approximately $900), or an additional six months in default of payment.

Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka's Fifth Special Judge Court  delivered the verdict on Thursday (November 27) afternoon.  

The cases involved 23 individuals, with 47 accusations in total across the three cases. Besides the Hasina family members, the other 20 accused include former State Minister for Housing and Public Works Sharif Ahmed, former Senior Assistant Secretary of the National Housing and Public Works Ministry Purabi Goldar, former RAJUK Chairman Md. Anisur Rahman Mia, and several other officials. 

Former RAJUK Member Mohammad Khurshid Alam is the only accused currently in custody and received a lighter sentence of three years in total for surrendering to the court.

Testimony from 91 witnesses established that Sheikh Hasina and her children acquired the government plots by concealing the fact that they already owned land or housing facilities in the capital, in violation of RAJUK's housing policy.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case over the illegal acquisition of 30 kathas of RAJUK land. The trial proceeded against Sheikh Hasina and 22 others in their absence, as they failed to appear in court despite summons, arrest warrants, and public notices.

The ACC charge sheet alleged that Sheikh Hasina misused her authority as Prime Minister to allocate government land to herself and her children and submitted false affidavits to facilitate the process.

These allegations of irregularities and corruption during the Awami League's tenure came to the forefront following the political change on August 5 of last year.

It is reported that the ACC filed six cases in January regarding the 'abuse of power and irregularities' in the allocation of 60 kathas of plots in RAJUK's Purbachal New Town Project. 

The trial for the three cases involving Hasina's immediate family was conducted concurrently, while the three cases involving her sister Sheikh Rehana's family are being tried separately, with a verdict expected on December 1.