Staff Reporter:
Six more witnesses have testified yesterday in the three cases filed against 47 people, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul, over irregu-larities in the allocation of plots in the RAJUK Purbachal New Town Project.
The six witnesses are Sonali Bank Senior Principal Officer (Gonobhaban branch) Gautam Kumar Sikder, Sonali Bank Principal Officer (Gonobhaban branch) Md Shariful Islam, Tax Circle Senior Assistant Md Lutfar Rahman, Tax Circle Computer Operator Md Rezaul Haque, Tax Circle Notice Server Md Abu Taher, and Office Assistant Delwar Hossain.
The six witnesses submitted their depositions at the Dhaka Special Judge Court-5. After examining the witnesses, Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun adjourned the hearing of the three cases till Septem-ber 17, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) public prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam told.
Earlier, on August 26, seven seizure list witnesses had testified in the case. The witnesses were Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) deputy directors Dhiraj Chandra Barman and Mahbubar Rahman, ACC assistant director Ashim Shil, Ullash Chowdhury and Sourav Das, Ministry of Housing and Public Works Administrative Officer Akter Jahan and its office assistant Shafikul Islam.
Plaintiffs of the three cases, ACC Deputy Director Salahuddin, Assistant Directors Afnan Jannat Keya and SM Rashedul Hasan, submitted their depositions at the court on August 11.
The court on July 31 framed charges in the cases. It also issued arrest warrants against the accused as they were still at large.
Apart from this court, the Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 on the same day had framed charges in three more cases filed in this connection. It fixed August 13 for starting to record the testimonies in the cases and issued arrest warrants against the accused.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib on July 20 forwarded the matters to the Special Judge Court as the cases were ready for trial. The court passed the order as the accused refrained from appearing before the court in spite of its order in this connection.
Earlier on July 1, the court ordered publication of a gazette notification summoning 100 people, includ-ing ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, in the cases.
The ACC filed the six cases from January 12 to January 14, 2025. The concerned investigation officers filed charge sheets on March 10.
