A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in prison in two corruption cases linked to alleged irregularities in the allocation of government land under the Purbachal New Town project.
The verdicts were delivered by Dhaka Special Judge Court-4, which found Hasina guilty of abusing her position in connection with the allotment of a 20-katha plot in the capital. She received five years’ imprisonment in each case, to be served consecutively.
The cases relate to alleged misuse of authority in the allotment of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol. Along with Hasina, the court convicted several members of her family, including her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq and her nieces Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years in prison — two years in each case. Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were handed seven years’ imprisonment each in the two cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused who surrendered before the court, received a sentence of one year in each case, totalling two years.
All convicted individuals were also fined Taka 1 lakh each. The court ordered an additional six months of imprisonment in default of payment.
One case concerned the alleged irregular allocation of a 20-katha plot, while the other involved a separate allotment of a 10-katha plot. According to court records, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed both cases on January 13, 2025, initially naming 16 accused in each matter.
Following investigations, the ACC submitted charge sheets on March 10, 2025, expanding the list of accused to 18 individuals in both cases. The Anti-Corruption Commission accused the former prime minister and others of abusing their positions to secure two 10-katha plots in violation of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) rules.
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Hasina, 78, has been living in India since August 5 last year after fleeing Bangladesh amid widespread protests. She had earlier been declared a fugitive by the court.
