Dhaka, December 1, 2025: A Bangladeshi court on Monday sentenced Sheikh Rehana, sister of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to seven years in prison for corruption linked to the allocation of lucrative plots in the capital. Rehana’s daughter, British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, received a two-year sentence in the same case, according to Khan Mainul Hasan, prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Former premier Sheikh Hasina, who was handed the death penalty for crimes against humanity last month, along with 14 other government officials, received five-year prison sentences. Hasina, 78, has been in India since her ouster last year following a student-led uprising, while Rehana’s current whereabouts remain unknown.
Siddiq, who resigned as Britain’s anti-corruption minister in January amid Bangladeshi graft probes, described the trial as “persecution and a farce.” Prosecutors claimed that Siddiq had communicated with Salahuddin Ahmed, the then-prime minister’s principal secretary, pressuring her aunt to allocate plots for her mother and siblings. Hasan said Siddiq secured three plots—one for herself and two for her children—through calls, encrypted apps, and in-person meetings in Dhaka.
During the sentencing, Judge Rabiul Alam cited verses from the Quran and emphasized the court’s jurisdiction, stating: “The court has full authority to try any Bangladeshi, whether the person is in the country or abroad.”
Reacting to the verdict, Hasina said in a statement to AFP, “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 about Siddiq’s sentence. Siddiq has not issued an immediate response, though she recently told The Guardian that she was “collateral damage” in a feud between interim leader Muhammad Yunus and her aunt.
Bangladesh has faced ongoing political turmoil since Hasina’s ouster, with violence affecting campaigning ahead of elections scheduled for February 2026. The United Nations reports that up to 1,400 people were killed during crackdowns as Hasina sought to retain power.
