DHAKA, Bangladesh — A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison for alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal New Town project, according to local media reports.
Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, received a seven-year sentence, while her niece, British MP Tulip Siddiq, was sentenced to two years. Judge Md Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court-4 delivered the verdict in the absence of all three defendants, as security around the courthouse was significantly increased.
Fourteen additional defendants in the case were also sentenced to five years each. All 17 accused, including Hasina, Rehana, and Siddiq, were fined Bangladeshi Taka 1 lakh, with an additional six months of imprisonment for failure to pay the fine, The Daily Star reported.
The Anti-Corruption Commission had filed six separate cases between January 12 and 14 alleging irregularities in the Purbachal plot allocation. The ruling follows a separate verdict on November 27, when another Dhaka court sentenced Hasina to a combined 21 years in prison in three ACC corruption cases involving the same housing project.
Hasina and her family members have strongly rejected the charges, calling them “malicious, politically motivated and without any proper foundation.” In a statement posted on the Awami League’s social media platform, they said the accusations were driven by political opponents and that the ACC, operating under the interim government, relied on “slanted and partial evidence” while preventing them from mounting a defense.
They also criticized the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration, accusing it of attempting to target family members who “are not in any way involved in politics.”
The Awami League has likewise condemned what it described as “baseless and fabricated” corruption cases intended to tarnish the reputation of the former prime minister and her relatives. (Source: IANS)
