Staff Correspondent:

A court in Dhaka on Sunday ordered that trials in six corruption cases over illegal government plot allocations in the Purbachal New Town Project will proceed in absence of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 23 others.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain Galib acknowledged that official gazette notifications had been published declaring the accused as absconders.

The court subsequently ordered the transfer of the cases to a Special Judge Court for trial proceedings.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam stated that all six cases had been set for further action following publication of the gazette notices. The trials will now begin in one of Dhaka’s 11 Special Judge Courts.

According to the gazette, arrest warrants have been issued for all 24 accused, and there is reasonable belief they are in hiding to evade arrest and trial. Under Section 6(13) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1958, trials may proceed in their absence.

The accused include Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, sister Sheikh Rehana, Rehana’s children Tulip Rizwana Siddiq (a British MP), Azmira Siddiq Rupu, and Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby. Also named are several former and current officials of the housing ministry and Rajuk, including former Rajuk chairman Anisur Rahman Miah.

The ACC filed the six separate cases in January 2025, alleging abuse of power and favoritism in allocation of government plots. Charge sheets have been submitted in all the cases and all accused remain at large.