Verdict in Rana Plaza corruption case against owner Sohel Rana and seven others postponed to September 1
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A Dhaka court has rescheduled the verdict in the corruption case related to the construction of the Rana Plaza building, involving building owner Sohel Rana and seven other defendants. Judge BM Tarikul Kabir of the Divisional Special Judge’s Court set September 1 as the new date for the judgment, citing that the ruling was not yet prepared.
Court bench assistant Ariful Islam confirmed the postponement, stating that the court moved the date because the final judgment document remained incomplete.
The case stems from the catastrophic collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Savar on April 24, 2013, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,136 people and left numerous garment workers injured. Following the disaster, the Anti-Corruption Commission initiated an inquiry into irregularities and corruption surrounding the building’s construction.
In June 2014, the commission filed a case against 17 individuals at the Savar police station, alleging that the building was constructed in violation of approved designs. While Sohel Rana was not initially named due to the building being registered in his father’s name, investigators later included him in the charge sheet after evidence confirmed his active involvement in the construction and management of the facility.
A supplementary investigation report submitted in February 2017 eventually named 18 defendants, including Rana and his parents. During the framing of charges, eight individuals were dropped from the case, and the proceedings against his parents were later dismissed following their deaths.
Beyond Sohel Rana, the remaining defendants include former Savar municipality mayor Refat Ullah, former chief executive officer Uttam Kumar Roy, executive engineer Rafiqul Islam, former assistant engineer Mahbubur Rahman, former sub-assistant engineer Rakibul Hasan Russell, former town planner Farzana Islam, and license inspector Md. Abdul Mottalib.
Regarding custody status, Sohel Rana was brought to court from prison, where he remains incarcerated in connection with a separate murder case related to the building collapse. While most other defendants are out on bail and appeared in court, Mahbubur Rahman and Farzana Islam remain fugitives.
The prosecution’s case detailed that the Savar municipality approved the design for a six-story shopping complex in 2006. In 2008, approval was sought for an additional four floors. Investigators allege that the defendants were involved in corruption regarding the design approval, the unauthorized vertical extension, and the subsequent permission granted to host five garment factories within the building, which was not originally intended for industrial use.
The trial formally commenced on May 21, 2017. Over the course of the proceedings, the court heard testimony from 19 of the 20 prosecution witnesses.
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