A Bangladesh court sentences ex-PM’s sister to 7 years and her daughter, a UK MP, to 2 years for corruption over land plots in Dhaka
DHAKA: A court in Bangladesh sentenced Sheikh Rehana, the sister of former premier Sheikh Hasina, to seven years in prison for corruption on Monday.
Rehana’s daughter, British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, received a two-year sentence in the same case involving the illegal acquisition of plots in Dhaka.
Former premier Sheikh Hasina, who was given a death penalty last month, and 14 other officials were also condemned to five years imprisonment.
The 78-year-old Hasina has sought refuge in India since her ouster last year, while Rehana’s current whereabouts are unknown.
Siddiq, who resigned as Britain’s anti-corruption minister in January, has called the trial a “persecution and a farce”.
Prosecutor Khan Mainul Hasan said they had evidence of Siddiq’s correspondence with the then prime minister’s principal secretary, Salahuddin Ahmed.
“Tulip insisted that her aunt Sheikh Hasina allocate plots for her mother and siblings, as she herself took three,” Hasan stated.
Judge Rabiul Alam quoted verses from the Quran as he delivered the judgement, asserting the court’s authority to try any Bangladeshi, at home or abroad.
Prosecutors said the interim government would notify British authorities about the verdict.
In a recent interview, Siddiq said she was “collateral damage” in the feud between interim leader Muhammad Yunus and her aunt. – AFP
