Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to prison on Monday. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
A Dhaka court sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a British member of parliament and 14 others to prison on Monday, in a sprawling case revolving around influence peddling, corruption and the illegal allocation of land in the nation’s capital.
Judge Rabiul Alam ruled Monday that Hasina had misused her powers as prime minister to influence officials to secure land allocations for her and her family, Dhaka Tribune reported. Alam also found Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, and Rehana’s daughter, British Labor MP Tulip Siddiq, had obtained plots by illegally influencing the prime minister, according to the local outlet.
The court found that Siddiq had influenced the process from Britain via social media platforms.
Hasina received a five-year sentence, Rehana a seven-year sentence and Siddiq a two-year sentence, local daily Prothom Alo reported. The 14 others accused in the case each received five years.
Of the 17 defendants, only one was in court on Monday.
The case was filed mid-January, with the government accusing the defendants in connection with the illegal acquisition of plots of land in the Purbachal New City project in Dhaka.
According to the government, Purbachal New Town is “the biggest planned township in the country” at 6,213 acres, and will have about 26,000 residential plots of various sizes as well as 62,000 apartments.
The government said developer RAJUK “intends to plan and develop the area as self-contained New Township with all modern facilities and opportunities” with the intention of reducing population density in the capital and the existing acute housing problem.
The Anti-Corruption Commission had filed the case mid-January, accusing Siddiq of having illegally used her position as a British member of parliament to secure plots of land for her mother, Rehana, sister, Azmina Siddiq and brother, Radwan Mujib.
Both Mujib and Azmina Siddiq have been charged in a separate case.
Hasina resigned as prime minister in August 2024, and fled to India amid growing public anger over quotas for government jobs. The suppression of protests by her government led to deaths of as many as 1,400 people.
Last month, she was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.
Siddiq is the sitting British member of parliament for Hampstead and Kilburn.
