Tulip sentenced to 2 years, Rehana to 7 years, Hasina to 5 years in prison

In a corruption case involving the allocation of plots by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) under the Purbachal New Town Project, a Dhaka court has sentenced British MP Tulip Siddiq to two years in prison, ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to five years, and her sister Sheikh Rehana to seven years.

Alongside the prison terms, Tulip Siddiq has been fined Tk 100,000, with an additional six months’ imprisonment in default. Sheikh Rehana has also been fined Tk 100,000. The remaining 14 accused in the case have each been sentenced to five years in prison.

The verdict was delivered at 11:00 am today, Monday, by Judge Md Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-4. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on 13 January, accusing 17 people of corruption in Rajuk’s plot allocation under the Purbachal New Town Project.

According to the ACC, Tulip Siddiq used her position as an MP of the UK’s ruling Labour Party to secure plot allocations in the Purbachal project in the names of her mother Sheikh Rehana, sister Azmina Siddiq, and brother Radwan Mujib. Each of them received a 10-katha plot.

However, this particular case only mentions the plot allocation to Rehana, which is why Azmina and Radwan were not made accused here. The ACC has named them in two separate cases.

Apart from Hasina, Rehana, and Tulip, the other 14 accused in the case are: administrative officer of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Md Saiful Islam Sarkar, senior assistant secretary Purabi Goldar, additional secretary Wali Ullah, secretary Kazi Wasi Uddin of the same ministry, PA to the former RAJUK chairman Md Anisur Rahman Miah, four former RAJUK members Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Tanmay Das, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, and Major (retd) Samsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, former RAJUK director Md Nurul Islam, assistant director Majharul Islam, RAJUK deputy director (Estate and Land-3) Naeb Ali Sharif, personal secretary-1 to the ousted prime minister Mohammad Salahuddin, and former state minister for housing and public works Sharif Ahmed. Among the 17 accused, only Khurshid Alam is in jail.

Following the fall of the Awami League government after the mass uprising, various allegations of corruption emerged against Sheikh Hasina and other members of her family. Tulip Siddique’s name also surfaced at one stage. Facing criticism after multiple corruption investigations began in Bangladesh, she resigned from her post as Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury on 14 January.