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former secretaries; Md Manjurul Bashid, former senior district and sessions judge; Syed Aminul Islam, former Supreme Court registrar general and district judge; Prof Nehal Ahmed, former director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.

According to a complaint against them, under the “Grihayan Dhanmondi (Phase 1)” project of the National Housing Authority, flats were allocated at higher prices in violation of the established guidelines.

A total of 18 flats were constructed in a 14-storey building on plot No. 711 (New 6/63) on road No. 13 (New 6/A) in the Dhanmondi residential area. Of these, 60 percent (12 flats) were supposed to be allocated for government officials and 40 percent (six flats) for private owners, but special privileges were reportedly given to officials of secretary-level rank.

The complaint alleges that these flats were allocated during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure to reward officials involved in “carrying out election day votes at the night before” the 2018 national parliamentary elections.

On May 5, a private TV channel aired a report on the matter, prompting the ACC to launch an investigation.

The housing and public works ministry cancelled the allotment of the flats for the 12 former officials on July 8.

Previously, in January, the ACC had decided to investigate officials of the deposed Hasina administration over their alleged role in the December 30, 2018 polls. The Awami League got two-thirds majority in that election.

Opposition parties alleged ballot-box stuffing the night before election day in the polls conducted by the KM Nurul Huda-led commission.

The Jatiya Oikyafront alleged that between 30 and 60 percent of the votes were cast the night before. Transparency International, Bangladesh, in a study found that stamping of ballots took place the night before election day in more than one centre of the 33 out of 50 surveyed constituencies.

According to Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), the turnout was 100 percent in 213 polling stations, it was between 90 and 99 percent in 7,689 centres.