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Hasina Gets 10 Years in Purbachal Plot Corruption Cases
UK MP Tulip Gets 4-Year Jail Term
In a landmark ruling on Monday, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to 10 years in prison in two separate corruption cases related to the allocation of government plots under the Purbachal New Town project in Dhaka. Alongside her, UK Member of Parliament Tulip Rizwana Siddiq was handed a four-year jail term, while Sheikh Hasina’s relatives Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq Ruponti received seven years each. All three were also fined Tk 100,000 individually.
The verdict was delivered at Special Judge Court-4 in Dhaka by Judge Md. Robiul Alam at noon. Other defendants in the cases received varying prison terms and fines according to their level of involvement in the corruption scandal.
The hearings for the two cases were concluded on January 13 and 18, with the court scheduling the verdict for February 2 following the arguments of the sole detained accused, former RAJUK member Mohammad Khurshid Alam.
Other prominent defendants include officials from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, senior bureaucrats, former RAJUK chairmen and directors, as well as former personal secretaries of the ex-Prime Minister. Among them are Md. Saiful Islam Sarkar, Purbi Goldar, Oliullah, Kazi Washi Uddin, Md. Anisur Rahman Miah, Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Tanmoy Das, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Major (Retd) Samsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Md. Nurul Islam, Mazharul Islam, Kamrul Islam, Nayeb Ali Sharif, former secretary Salah Uddin, and ex-state minister Sharif Ahmed.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had filed six separate cases last month against Sheikh Hasina, her children Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Saima Wazed Putul, her sister Sheikh Rehana, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, and other family members, accusing them of misusing their official powers to illegally allocate government plots. The complaints were formally submitted to the court, detailing how the former prime minister and her family allegedly exploited their positions for personal gain.
This verdict marks a significant development in Bangladesh’s fight against high-level corruption, particularly in the allocation of public land and resources. Court sources indicated that the judgment could set a precedent for accountability at the highest levels of government.