Bangladesh’s ex-leader Hasina and niece, British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, found guilty of corruption

By JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A court in Bangladesh’s capital sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison and her niece, British Labour Party lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, to two years in prison Monday for corruption involving a government land project.

Rabiul Alam, the judge of Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court, said Hasina misused her power as prime minister while Siddiq was guilty of corruptly influencing her aunt in helping her mother and two siblings get a land plot in a government project. Siddiq’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, was given seven years in prison and was considered the prime participant in the case. There are 14 other suspects.

Siddiq, who represents London’s Hampstead and Highgate areas in Britain’s Parliament, had earlier denied the allegations and said the trial was a farce built on “fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta.”

In January, Siddiq resigned as a government minister under pressure because of her ties to her aunt.

Hasina was sentenced to death in November for crimes against humanity involving the crackdown on the mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule last year. She lives in exile in India, and all of her trials have been conducted in absentia.

She and the others in the case decided Monday did not appoint any defense lawyers to represent them.

Rehana is staying outside the country and Siddiq’s two siblings are also abroad as they face other charges involving last year’s uprising.

In three separate cases involving the same township project, a separate court on Nov. 27 sentenced Hasina to 21 years in jail. Hasina’s son and daughter were also sentenced to five years in jail each by the court in that case.