Dhaka, Bangladesh
AP
—
A court in Bangladesh’s capital on Monday sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison and her niece, British Labor MP Tulip Siddique, to two years in prison for corruption related to government land projects.
Judge Rabiul Alam of the Dhaka Special Magistrate’s Court said Hasina was guilty of abusing her power as prime minister and Siddique was guilty of improperly influencing her aunt in helping her mother and two brothers acquire land for a government project. Siddique’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, was sentenced to seven years in prison and was considered a key participant in the case.
The judge also fined the three men $813 each and ordered the revocation of the land allocated to Rehana. There are 14 other suspects.
Hasina’s Awami League party said the verdict was “completely predictable” and that the anti-corruption watchdog itself “is a political machine used for political purposes.”
“The charges against Sheikh Hasina, her sister and many others, including her immediate family and wider family, are categorically denied,” the party said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. “This process has failed a reasonable test of judicial impartiality, a point strongly noted by national and international legal experts.”
Prosecutors said Siddique was being tried as a Bangladeshi citizen and authorities had obtained his passport, national identity card and tax identification number. But Mr Siddique disputed this claim, insisting he was a British citizen and not a Bangladeshi citizen.
Mr Siddique, who represents London’s Hampstead and Highgate areas in Parliament, described the ruling as a “complete travesty”.
“The outcome of this kangaroo court is as unjust as it is predictable,” she said in a statement. “My focus will always be on the voters of Hampstead and Highgate and I refuse to be distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh.”
Corruption watchdog prosecutor Khan Mohamed Mainul Hasan said he was seeking life sentences for the main defendants.
“We expected a life sentence, but that did not happen. We will consult with the committee on the next course of action,” he said.
In January, Siddiq resigned as a minister in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet under pressure over his links to his aunt. Mr Siddique had previously said he was cleared of any wrongdoing but was resigning as economics secretary at the Treasury because the issue was becoming “a hindrance to the work of the government”.
Prosecutor Hassan said on Monday that he would contact the British government through the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding Siddique’s sentence.
Britain’s ruling Labor Party said it could not accept the verdict because Siddiq had not been given a fair legal process and was not informed of the details of the charges.
Hasina was sentenced to death in November for crimes against humanity related to the crackdown on the massive uprising that ended her 15-year rule last year. She is in exile in India and all trials were held in absentia.
It was decided Monday that no attorneys would be appointed for her case and others in the case.
Rehana is abroad, as are Siddique’s two brothers, who are facing separate charges related to last year’s riots.
On November 27, another court sentenced Hasina to 21 years in prison in three separate cases involving projects in the same town. Hasina’s son and daughter were also sentenced by the court to five years in prison each in this case.
The country is currently run by a caretaker government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who has declared the next parliamentary elections to be held in February.
