Sheikh Hasina convicted again: B'desh court hands 10-yr sentence in housing scam cases

A Bangladesh tribunal connected Monday sentenced erstwhile premier curate Sheikh Hasina to a full of 10 years successful situation successful 2 abstracted corruption cases linked to alleged irregularities successful the allocation of residential plots nether the Purbachal New Town authorities task adjacent Dhaka.According to quality bureau ANI, Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 handed Hasina 5 years’ imprisonment successful each case, taking the full condemnation to 10 years. The verdict was delivered by Judge Robiul Alam.In the aforesaid cases, Hasina’s niece Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, a British MP and girl of Sheikh Rehana, was sentenced to 2 years successful each case, totalling 4 years successful prison.Another niece, Azmina Siddiq, and Hasina’s lad Radwan Mujib Siddiq, besides known arsenic Bobby, were sentenced to 7 years’ imprisonment each.

Details of the verdict and accused

The 79-year-old erstwhile premier was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for allegedly utilizing her authoritative power to allocate residential plots to others, including Tulip Siddiq, nether the Rajuk New Town Project successful Purbachal connected the outskirts of the capital. The tribunal pronounced the judgement astatine astir 12.30 p.m. (local time).Apart from Hasina and her relatives, respective others were besides convicted. According to quality bureau PTI, those sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment included a erstwhile inferior lodging minister, a erstwhile caput of the lodging ministry, a erstwhile Rajuk president and officials of the state-run Rajuk authority, which oversees crippled allocations.

Only 1 of the accused, a elder Rajuk official, was contiguous successful court, portion the remainder were tried successful absentia.“The proceedings of the accused was not obstructed careless of wherever they (accused) were successful the world,” the justice said portion delivering the verdict, arsenic quoted by PTI.

Background of the cases

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the cases connected January 13, 2025, initially against 16 individuals, aboriginal submitting complaint sheets against 18 accused connected March 10, 2025. A full of 31 witnesses testified during the trial, with the signaling of testimonies concluding connected January 5 this year. The tribunal had fixed February 2 for pronouncing judgement successful some cases.The corruption watchdog alleged Hasina colluded with authorities officials to illegally unafraid plots successful the Purbachal New Town Project for herself and her household members, contempt them being ineligible nether existing rules. Hasina has earlier been convicted successful aggregate different cases related to the aforesaid task and sentenced to a cumulative 26 years successful situation successful erstwhile verdicts.

Reactions and governmental context

Hasina’s now-disbanded Awami League described the sentences arsenic “entirely predictable” and alleged the cases were “fabricated” by the interim authorities led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.Tulip Siddiq rejected the allegations, calling the process “flawed and farcical from the opening to the end”.

“I’m perfectly baffled by the full thing,” she was quoted by the BBC arsenic saying, adding that she had not received immoderate summons oregon complaint sheet. She said she had engaged lawyers successful some the UK and Bangladesh.Sheikh Hasina has been surviving successful exile successful India since August 5, 2024, aft her authorities was toppled successful a student-led uprising. Following her ouster, an interim authorities nether Muhammad Yunus initiated a bid of ineligible proceedings against Hasina, her household members and erstwhile Awami League leaders.Earlier, a peculiar tribunal sentenced Hasina to decease connected charges of committing crimes against humanity for her alleged relation successful brutally suppressing the student-led uprising. Separately, connected an Anti-Corruption Commission complaint, a tribunal connected November 27 had sentenced Hasina to a full of 21 years’ imprisonment.