B'desh court jails Hasina 5 years, UK lawmaker niece 2 years in land scam

A Bangladesh court on Monday convicted and sentenced deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to five years of imprisonment and her niece, British parliamentarian Tulip Siddiq, to a two-year jail term in a land scam case.

- AGENCIES

Sheikh Hasina

Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge's Court-4 of Dhaka also handed down a seven-year jail term to Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, in the corruption case lodged against 17 people, the state-run BSS news agency reported.

The court handed down the verdict in a packed courtroom in the absence of the three accused.

The 14 other accused were jailed for five years each.

The court also imposed a fine of Tk 1 lakh each on all 17 convicts, including Hasina, Rehana, and Siddiq, failing which they will have to serve an additional six months in jail.

Siddiq, a British-Bangladeshi Labour Party politician, is Rehana’s daughter and has been the Member of Parliament for Hampstead and Highgate since 2015.