Bangladesh sentences British MP, Sheikh Hasina’s niece, to prison

The former leader and her niece, UK lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, were sentenced in absentia for corruption in a land deal.Published On 1 Dec 2025A court in Dhaka has sentenced former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in absentia to five years in prison and her niece, British MP Tulip Siddiq to two, for corruption in a case involving the acquisition of plots of land.Rabiul Alam, the judge of Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court, said on Monday that Hasina – who has lived in exile in India since being toppled in an uprising last year – misused her power as premier in the transaction.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Will Sheikh Hasina’s death sentence deepen Bangladesh’s political divide?list 2 of 4‘Justice only when Hasina is hanged’: Bangladesh victim families on verdictlist 3 of 4Bangladesh’s test: After Hasina conviction, will it repeat her mistakes?list 4 of 4Bangladesh asks India to extradite fugitive ex-PM Sheikh Hasinaend of listSiddiq, an MP for the United Kingdom’s governing Labour party, was found guilty of corruptly influencing Hasina to help her mother – Sheikh Rehana, Hasina’s sister – and two siblings acquire the plot in a government project in Dhaka.Rehana, who is reportedly no longer based in Bangladesh, was sentenced to seven years in prison in absentia, with the trio also fined 100,000 taka ($820) each, which would result in an additional six months in prison if they failed to pay, the court said.Fourteen others charged in the case were handed five-year sentences.Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina [File: Handout/Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office via AFP]Khan Mainul Hasan, prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Commission, said his team had details of Siddiq’s correspondence with Salahuddin Ahmed, Hasina’s principal secretary, exposing her role in the case, the AFP news agency reported.“Tulip insisted that her aunt Sheikh Hasina allocate plots for her mother and siblings, as she herself took three – one for her and two for her children,” Hasan said. “She called [Ahmed], communicated via some encrypted apps, and even met him while she was in Dhaka.”