• Source:JND
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In a major development in Bangladesh’s ongoing anti-corruption crackdown, Dhaka court handed down fresh sentences to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and her niece, British MP Tulip Siddiq, in the Purbachal New Town Project land allocation case. The judgment marks yet another escalation in the series of cases initiated after the change of power earlier this year.

Five-Year Jail Term For Hasina, Seven Years For Rehana

According to court officials, Sheikh Hasina was awarded a five-year prison term, while her sister Sheikh Rehana received a seven-year sentence for alleged irregularities in the allotment of plots under the large-scale housing project on the outskirts of Dhaka. Rehana had drawn global attention last year when she was seen accompanying Hasina during the violent protests that preceded the former premier’s ouster.

British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, daughter of Sheikh Rehana and granddaughter of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was sentenced to two years in prison. Siddiq, who resigned from her ministerial post in January, has repeatedly dismissed the charges as politically driven. She earlier described herself as “collateral damage” in Bangladesh’s turbulent political environment.

Awami League Rejects Verdict, Calls It ‘Predictable’

The Awami League, now out of power, sharply criticised the ruling, saying the verdict followed a pattern seen in recent cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). In a strongly worded statement, the party said, “These cases are part of a politically motivated agenda. The defendants were tried in absentia and denied proper legal representation. No credible evidence of corruption was presented because none exists.”

The party also accused the interim administration of using the ACC as a “political weapon”, claiming the process “fails to meet even the basic standards of judicial fairness.”

Series Of Cases Mount Against Former PM

This ruling adds to Hasina’s mounting legal troubles. On November 27, a special Dhaka court sentenced her to 21 years in prison, seven years each in three separate graft cases. Earlier, on November 17, the International Crimes Tribunal handed Hasina a controversial death sentence in a case relating to crimes against humanity. Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was convicted in the same case.

ALSO READ: Bangladesh Court Sentences Sheikh Hasina To 21 Years in Prison In Three Graft Cases

The ACC had registered six cases in January linked to alleged irregularities in the Purbachal project. Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul are also named as accused and could face additional legal proceedings in the coming weeks.

ALSO READ: Sheikh Hasina Not The First: A Look At World Leaders Who Were Sentenced To Death

The Awami League also targeted Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of using the ACC to divert public attention from “governance failures” and rising political tensions nationwide.As the legal battle deepens and the political landscape remains fraught, Bangladesh continues to grapple with one of the most consequential transitions in its recent history.

With inputs from agency.

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