Dhaka: A Bangladeshi court has sentenced British MP Tulip Siddiq to two years in prison in a high-profile corruption case involving the alleged illegal allocation of a land plot. The verdict was delivered in absentia, as Siddiq, her aunt and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana were not present in court.
Sheikh Hasina received a five-year prison sentence, while Rehana was handed seven years. Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 amid nationwide protests against her government, was recently sentenced to death over the violent crackdown on demonstrators and has also received 21 years in other corruption cases.
Prosecutors claimed that the defendants abused their power to unlawfully secure a 13,610-square-foot land plot during Hasina’s time as prime minister. Most of the 17 accused were absent when the verdicts were announced.
Tulip Siddiq, who resigned as the UK minister overseeing financial services and anti-corruption in January amid scrutiny of her financial links to Hasina, has denied all charges, calling them a “politically motivated smear.” Currently, the UK has no extradition treaty with Bangladesh, making enforcement uncertain.
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