A COURT in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital has sentenced former ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison and her niece, British Labour Party lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, to two years in prison in a high-profile corruption case involving a government land project.
Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, received a seven-year sentence and was deemed the principal actor in the scheme, according to Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court.
AP reported on Tuesday that Judge Rabiul Alam stated that Hasina abused her prime ministerial powers, while Siddiq was found guilty of improperly influencing her aunt to secure land for her mother and two siblings under a government scheme.
The court imposed fines of US$813 each on the three defendants and ordered the cancellation of the land plot allocated to Rehana. Fourteen other individuals remain under investigation.
Hasina’s Awami League party dismissed the ruling as politically motivated.
“The allegations against Sheikh Hasina, her sister, and many others including members of her immediate and wider family are firmly denied,” the party said in a statement to The Associated Press (AP).
“The process fails to pass any reasonable test of judicial fairness — a point that has been made forcefully by both local and international legal experts.”
Siddiq, who represents Hampstead and Highgate in the British Parliament, rejected the court’s authority, asserting she is a British citizen and not subject to Bangladeshi jurisdiction.
“The outcome of this kangaroo court is as predictable as it is unjustified,” she said. “My focus has always been my constituents in Hampstead and Highgate and I refuse to be distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh.”
Prosecutor Khan Mohammed Mainul Hasan noted that authorities had pursued life sentences for the primary defendants but acknowledged that the court delivered lesser terms.
He indicated the Bangladeshi government would engage with the UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding Siddiq’s sentence.
Britain’s ruling Labour Party condemned the proceedings, stating it could not recognise the verdict as Siddiq lacked access to a fair legal process and was not informed of the charges in advance.
Siddiq had resigned in January from her ministerial post in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet following political pressure arising from her familial ties.
Sheikh Hasina, who lives in exile in India following the mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule last year, has faced multiple trials in absentia.
In November, she was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, and in a separate case concerning the same township land project, she received an additional 21-year prison term, while her son and daughter were sentenced to five years each.
Bangladesh is currently governed by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who has announced that the next parliamentary election is scheduled for February. - December 2, 2025
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