Dhaka: A court in Bangladesh on Monday sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison in a land-scam case. The court also gave her sister, Sheikh Rehana, a seven-year jail term, and her niece, British MP Tulip Siddiq, a two-year sentence. The case was reported by The Daily Star.
The verdict came from Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge’s Court-4 in Dhaka.
Fourth verdict against Hasina in graft cases
This is the fourth verdict involving Hasina in graft cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the report said. The ACC filed six separate cases between January 12 and 14 with its Dhaka Integrated District Office-1 over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal New Town project.
According to the anti-graft body, Hasina, in collusion with senior Rajuk officials, unlawfully secured six plots, each measuring 10 kathas (7,200 square feet), in the diplomatic zone of Sector 27 of the Purbachal New Town project for herself and her relatives, including her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul, despite their ineligibility under existing regulations, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
On July 31, charges were formally framed against 29 individuals, including Hasina, Rehana, Joy, Putul, and Tulip Siddiq. On November 27, a separate ruling sentenced Hasina to 21 years’ rigorous imprisonment (seven years for each of three prior Purbachal-plot scam cases), while Joy and Putul were each handed a five-year prison term.
Bangladesh court convicted Hasina in corruption cases
A Bangladesh court sentenced Hasina to 21 years of imprisonment in three corruption cases, local media reported. According to the state-run BSS news agency, the three cases were filed over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots in the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judge delivered the verdict in the absence of the accused, as she had not yet been arrested and was tried in absentia. Hasina received a seven-year sentence in each of the three cases, amounting to a total of 21 years in prison. “The plot was allotted to Sheikh Hasina without any application and in a manner that exceeded the legally authorised jurisdiction,” the court observed in its judgment.
Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death by ICT
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has already sentenced Sheikh Hasina a death sentence after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity linked to the July 2024 anti-government protests.
Hasina and her family did not have legal representation during the proceedings, as they were in hiding. Nonetheless, they have consistently rejected all corruption-related accusations in various public statements and speeches.
In July 2024, a student-led revolt broke out against then–Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She fled the country on August 5 and sought refuge in India. Following her departure, an interim administration was formed under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.