DHAKA: A Dhaka special court has sentenced Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison for corruption related to land allocations under the Purbachal New Town Project. The case also saw her sister, Sheikh Rehana, receive seven years in prison, and her niece, Tulip Siddiq—a British MP representing Hampstead and Highgate in the UK Parliament—sentenced to two years, all in absentia.
The convictions come after the Anti-Corruption Commission accused Hasina and family members of unlawfully securing government-plotted land in a prime diplomatic zone of Dhaka, despite their ineligibility under Bangladeshi regulations. Siddiq was specifically found to have used her influence to obtain plots for her mother and siblings, and Rehana was named the primary offender in this case. All three were fined about $800 each, with the threat of additional jail time if the fines are not paid. Court orders also revoked the contested land allocations.
Fourteen other individuals were also convicted, each receiving five-year sentences related to the scandal. Hasina, who has been living in exile in India since her government was overthrown amid widespread protests in 2024, has denied all charges and claims the proceedings are politically motivated and a “clear political vendetta.” The Awami League, her party, echoed these criticisms, saying defendants were denied proper legal representation and that judicial fairness was absent throughout the process.
Earlier, Hasina was sentenced to a total of 21 years in three separate corruption cases and faces a death sentence from the International Crimes Tribunal for her response to last year’s mass protests. The current interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, is preparing for new elections scheduled for February 2026
