On December 1, a high‑court judge in Dhaka handed down a five‑year prison term to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after finding evidence of irregularities in the allocation of plots in the Purbachal New Town development, local outlets reported. The judge, Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge’s Court‑4, delivered the decision while the defendants were absent, with security tight around the courthouse.
Sheikh Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, received a seven‑year sentence, and the niece of British MP Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to two years. An additional fourteen individuals were also convicted, each receiving five years in prison. All seventeen defendants—including Hasina, Rehana, and Tulip—were fined 1 lakh taka. Those who failed to pay the fine faced an extra six months of imprisonment, The Daily Star reported.
The cases stem from six separate complaints lodged by the Anti‑Corruption Commission (ACC) between January 12 and 14 at the Dhaka Integrated District Office‑1, alleging improper plot assignments. This verdict follows a November 27 ruling that sentenced Hasina to 21 years for three ACC corruption filings over the same Purbachal plot irregularities.
In response, Hasina and her relatives have rejected the accusations, labeling them as “malicious, politically motivated and without any proper foundation.” They posted a statement on the Awami League’s social media, calling the charges “tainted by the political motivations of our opponents” and criticizing the ACC as controlled by an unelected administration that allegedly uses “slanted and partial evidence” and denies a chance for defense.
The statement also slammed the Muhammad Yunus‑led interim government, describing the allegations as “clearly malicious” and lamenting that the interim administration attempts to implicate innocent family members not involved in politics. The Awami League further denounced the case as a “baseless and fabricated corruption suit” designed to tarnish Hasina and her family.
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