Court Jails Ousted Bangladesh PM Hasina’s Sister, Niece For Corruption

A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced Sheikh Rehana, sister of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to seven years in prison for corruption linked to the illegal acquisition of lucrative plots of land in Dhaka.

Rehana’s daughter, Tulip Siddiq, a British lawmaker, was also convicted and handed a two-year jail term in the same case, according to Khan Mainul Hasan, prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The ruling came weeks after Hasina herself was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, alongside a five-year prison term for corruption involving 14 former government officials.

The 78-year-old ex-premier has been living in India since her ouster last year following a student-led uprising. Rehana’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Siddiq, who resigned as Britain’s anti-corruption minister in January after being named in graft probes back home, has described the trial as “persecution and a farce”.

Prosecutor Hasan said investigators obtained records of Siddiq’s correspondence with Salahuddin Ahmed, the principal secretary to the then prime minister, exposing her involvement.

“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,” he said.

“She called him, communicated via encrypted apps, and even met him while she was in Dhaka.”

Delivering the judgement, Judge Rabiul Alam, quoted verses from the Quran, noting that the court had the authority to try any Bangladeshi “whether the person is in the country or abroad”.

Hasina condemned the verdict in a statement sent to AFP, saying, “No country is free from corruption. But corruption needs to be investigated in a way that is not itself corrupt. The ACC has failed that test today.”

Prosecutors said the interim government would notify British authorities about the judgment, but Siddiq has not commented publicly on Monday’s ruling.

She, however, recently told The Guardian she was “collateral damage” in the feud between interim leader Muhammad Yunus and her aunt.

Bangladesh has been gripped by political unrest since Hasina fell from power, with violence intensifying ahead of the February 2026 elections.

The United Nations estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina attempted to hang on to power.