The verdict comes ahead of elections on February 12, with ousted leader Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League banned from participating.
Published February 2, 2026
A Bangladeshi court has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in exile on corruption charges, and her niece, British lawmaker Tulip Siddique, to prison.
A Dhaka court on Monday sentenced Hasina to 10 years in prison, accused by the country’s corruption watchdog of illegally securing property for herself and her family in government land projects near the capital.
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Hasina has been in exile in India since 2024, when she was ousted in a student-led riot that ended her 15-year rule.
She was later sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity related to the crackdown on protests that left as many as 1,400 people dead, according to the United Nations.
Judge Mohamed Rabiul Alam of Bench 4 of the Special Judges’ Court also sentenced Siddique, a member of Britain’s ruling Labor Party, to four years in prison in connection with land-grabbing charges.
Siddique’s brothers Azmina and Radwan Mujib were each sentenced to seven years in prison for their involvement in the incident.
The Bangladeshi military called on police in London to “immediately arrest the fugitive Tulip and his wanted family members and hand them over to Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies.”
Hasina and Tulip Siddique were previously sentenced in similar cases involving government land projects. Both condemned the ruling.
“Abuse of power”
Prosecutors said Siddique influenced his aunt to help his mother (Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana) and two brothers acquire land for a government project in Dhaka.
Mr Siddique dismissed the allegations as a “politically motivated smear”.
Hasina has racked up charges of abuse of power during her 15 years in power and has been convicted in four other cases over corruption in projects.
In these cases, the court sentenced her to a total of 26 years in prison, and her children Sajeeb Wazed and Saima Wazed to five years each. Her sister Sheikh Rehana (mother of Tulip, Azmina and Radwan) was sentenced to seven years in prison.
The ruling comes as the transitional government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus prepares for elections on February 12th.
Hasina’s former ruling party, the Awami League, was banned from participating.
