A Dhaka Special Judge’s Court on Monday handed jail terms to exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her niece, United Kingdom lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, on charges stemming from a government land corruption scheme. Hasina received a ten-year sentence for allegedly securing property in a development near the capital for family members, according to reports from the country’s anti-graft watchdog.
The most newsworthy element involves the sentencing of Siddiq, a sitting member of the UK Parliament for the Labour Party, who received four years in prison. Siddiq’s siblings, Azmina and Radwan Mujib, were also sentenced to seven years each in connection with the alleged land grab activity. The Bangladeshi military reportedly called upon London authorities to arrest and extradite the fugitives immediately.
Prosecution arguments detailed that Siddiq influenced her aunt, Hasina, to facilitate the acquisition of a plot for her mother, Sheikh Rehana, and the two siblings within the state project. Siddiq has publicly denounced the charges, labeling them as politically motivated attempts to smear her reputation. Hasina has been living in exile in India since her removal following a mass uprising in 2024 that concluded her fifteen-year tenure.
This is not the first conviction for the former leader, as she has previously been sentenced in absentia in four other corruption cases related to the land project, accumulating a total of 26 years. Furthermore, Hasina had previously received a death sentence linked to alleged crimes against humanity committed during the crackdown on the 2024 protests, which the United Nations estimated resulted in up to 1,400 fatalities.
The latest judicial actions occur as the interim administration, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, finalizes preparations for the general elections scheduled for February 12. Hasina’s political vehicle, the Awami League, has been officially prohibited from participating in the upcoming electoral contest.
These convictions add to the mounting legal pressure against the former ruling family, with Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, also receiving a seven-year sentence in related proceedings. The coordinated sentencing across multiple family members underscores the extensive scope of the legal actions pursued by the current administration against the previous regime’s leadership.
