A BANGLADESH court on Monday sentenced British MP and former minister Tulip Siddiq to two years in jail in a corruption case linked to the alleged illegal allocation of a plot of land, prosecutors said.
Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Siddiq’s aunt, was also sentenced in absentia to five years in jail, while her sister Rehana received a seven-year sentence.
The court fined Siddiq, Hasina and Rehana 100,000 taka (621 pounds) each. It said failure to pay would lead to an additional six months in prison.
Siddiq resigned in January as the UK’s minister responsible for financial services and anti-corruption efforts after scrutiny over financial links to Hasina. She has previously rejected the allegations as a “politically motivated smear”.
Britain does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh.
Reuters said Hasina’s representatives did not immediately respond to its request for comment.
Prosecutors said the land in Dhaka, measuring around 13,610 square feet (1,264 square metres), was unlawfully allocated through political influence and collusion with senior officials. They said Siddiq, Hasina and Rehana abused their authority to obtain the plot during Hasina’s tenure as prime minister.
The court was told that the land was meant for a new township project intended to ease housing and population pressure in Dhaka.
Fourteen others charged in the case were sentenced to five years in prison.
Hasina fled to India in August 2024 during an uprising against her government. Last month, she was sentenced to death over her government’s crackdown on demonstrators. Last week, she received a combined 21-year prison term in other corruption cases.
(With inputs from agencies)
