Sheikh Rehana

An arrest warrant was issued yesterday against Sheikh Rehana, sister of detained Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina, along with an order to attach all her properties in connection with a Tk 2.99 crore extortion case.
After scrutinising the case docket and other relevant documents, Metropolitan Magistrate ABM Abdul Fattah accepted the charge sheet of the case and passed the order.
The court issued the order following a prayer submitted by the investigation officer (IO) of the case showing Rehana fugitive.
Meanwhile, while commenting on the order, Sheikh Rehana, who is currently in the US, told BBC Radio Bangla Service, "I'm really disappointed and disheartened at such a false case against me -- the arrest warrant and the attachment of my wealth. What's the reason for this? This is just to humiliate me and this is evil-intentioned."
Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of Eastcoast Trading Pvt Ltd, filed the case on June 13 against former prime minister Hasina and her cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim with Gulshan Police Station, accusing them of extorting Tk 2.99 crore from him.
Rehana's name was later included in the charge sheet as the IO found her involvement in the extortion during investigation. The other two accused, Hasina and Sheikh Selim, were arrested earlier and are currently detained in different prisons.
Joint forces arrested the AL chief in connection with the case on July 16 and produced her before a magistrate's court that sent her to a sub-jail custody.
The defence lawyers of the case submitted a petition seeking time for adjournment of the order on the acceptance of the charge sheet, but the court rejected the defence plea for adjournment of the order on it.
Defence lawyers in their petition mentioned that they had earlier submitted a writ petition to the High Court (HC) challenging the legality of the case.
They added that the court, after hearing, granted ad interim bail to Hasina in two cases filed with Gulshan and Tejgaon police stations and also issued a rule upon the government.
But the Supreme Court stayed the HC order following a government appeal and directed the HC to dispose of the matter, said the defence adding that the matter was now on the HC's cause list.
They appealed the court not to pass any judgment on whether to accept the charge sheet until the HC disposes of the matter.
Opposing the defence plea, the prosecution prayed for acceptance of the charge sheet as the higher court had not pass any order barring the acceptance of the charge sheet.
Upon scrutinising the case docket, the court rejected the petition submitted by the defence lawyers and issued the arrest warrant against Rehana and ordered attachment of her properties.
The court also directed the authorities concerned to send a copy of the arrest warrant and the order of property attachment to the officer in charge (OC) of Gulshan Police Station for implementation of its order.
On July 24, Gulshan Police Station OC Obaidul Haque, also the IO of the case, submitted the charge sheet against Hasina, Rehana and Selim to the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, showing 24 people as prosecution witnesses.
Two more extortion cases and a graft case were filed with Tejgaon Police Station against the former premier on April 9, June 13 and September 2.