A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced Sheikh Rehana, sister of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to seven years in prison over corruption linked to the illegal acquisition of prime land plots 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 comes 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 current whereabouts remain unknown.
Siddiq, who resigned as Britain’s anti-corruption minister in January amid graft probes, described the trial as “persecution and a farce.”
Prosecutor Hasan revealed that investigators obtained correspondence records linking Siddiq with Salahuddin Ahmed, the principal secretary to the then prime minister, exposing her involvement in the land allocation scheme.
“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 communicated via encrypted apps and even met him while in Dhaka.”
Delivering the judgment, Judge Rabiul Alam cited Quranic verses, emphasizing that the court had the authority to try any Bangladeshi, whether in the country or abroad.
Hasina condemned the verdict, stating:
“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 confirmed that the interim government would notify British authorities of the judgment. Siddiq has not issued a public statement regarding Monday’s ruling, though she recently told The Guardian that she felt like “collateral damage” in the feud between interim leader Muhammad Yunus and her aunt.
Bangladesh has experienced political unrest since Hasina’s removal from power, with violence intensifying ahead of the February 2026 elections.
The United Nations estimates that crackdowns during her attempt to cling to power led to the deaths of up to 1,400 people.