A special judge's court in Dhaka has sentenced British MP Tulip Siddiq to two years, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years, and her sister Sheikh Rehana to seven years in a corruption case involving the allocation of plots in the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) Purbachal New Town Project.

In addition to the jail sentence, Tulip Siddiq was fined BDT 1 lakh, or an additional six months in prison if the fine is unpaid. Sheikh Rehana was also fined BDT 1 lakh. The court handed down five-year sentences to the 14 other accused in the case.

The verdict was announced on Monday at 11 am by Judge Md. Rabiul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4. The 17 accused were sentenced in a case filed over corruption in the allocation of plots in the Purbachal New Town Project, managed by RAJUK.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on January 13.

The ACC alleges that Tulip Siddiq, utilizing her power as a Labour Party MP in the UK, secured plot allocations in the Purbachal New Town Project in the names of her mother Sheikh Rehana, sister Azmina Siddiq, and brother Radwan Mujib. All three allegedly received 10-katha plots in Purbachal.

However, the current case only mentions the plot received by Rehana. For this reason, the ACC did not name Azmina and Radwan as defendants in this particular case, although the agency has charged them in two separate cases.

Aside from Hasina, Rehana, and Tulip, the 14 other defendants in the case are: Md. Saifullah Sarkar, Administrative Officer of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works; Purabi Goldar, Senior Assistant Secretary of the same ministry; Oliullah, Additional Secretary; Kazi Wasi Uddin, Secretary; Md. Anisur Rahman Mia, Personal Assistant (PA) to the former Chairman of RAJUK; four former RAJUK members—Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Tanmoy Das, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, and Major (Retd.) Shamsuddin Ahmad Chowdhury; Md. Nurul Islam, former Director of RAJUK; Mazharul Islam, Assistant Director; Nayeb Ali Sharif, Deputy Director; Mohammad Salah Uddin, former Private Secretary to the Prime Minister; and Sharif Ahmed, former State Minister for Housing and Public Works. Among the 17 accused, Khurshid Alam is currently in jail.

Following the fall of the Awami League government in August of last year, various allegations of corruption surfaced against Sheikh Hasina and other members of her family. Eventually, Tulip Siddiq’s name was also implicated. Amidst the start of multiple corruption investigations in Bangladesh and subsequent public criticism, she resigned from her position as the Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury on January 14.