Bangladesh court convicts former PM Hasina and her UK lawmaker niece of graft

Bangladesh Court Hands Down Jail Sentences to Exiled Leader and UK Lawmaker

A court in Dhaka on Monday sentenced exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in prison on corruption charges related to a government land project near the capital. The Bangladesh corruption watchdog had accused Hasina of illegally securing property for herself and family members.

Hasina has been in exile in India since her ouster by a student-led mass uprising in 2024, which ended her 15-year rule. She was previously sentenced to death in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown on protests that killed up to 1,400 people, according to the United Nations.

Judge Mohammed Rabiul Alam also sentenced Hasina’s niece, UK lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, to four years in prison in connection with the alleged land grab. Siddiq’s siblings, Azmina and Radwan Mujib, each received seven-year sentences for their involvement in the case.

The prosecution claimed that Siddiq had influenced her aunt to help her mother acquire a plot in the government project in Dhaka. However, Siddiq denied the allegations, stating they were “politically motivated smears”.

Hasina was previously convicted in four other cases over corruption in the project, with a total sentence of 26 years in prison. Her children and younger sister also received prison sentences.

The latest verdicts came ahead of February 12 elections, during which an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is preparing to take office. The former ruling Awami League party has been barred from participating in the elections due to corruption charges against its leader.

Source: Al Jazeera