A Bangladesh court on Thursday sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to 21 years in prison in three corruption cases linked to alleged irregularities in land allocations under a government housing project. The verdict adds to the mounting legal troubles facing Hasina, who is already under a separate death sentence for her role in last year’s violent crackdown.
Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-5 sentenced Hasina to three separate seven-year prison terms in corruption cases linked to the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachal, bringing the total to 21 years to be served consecutively.He also fined her Taka one lakh in each case, with an additional 18 months in jail if the fines are not paid.The court also sentenced Hasina’s son, Sajib Wajed Joy, and daughter, Saima Wazed Putul, to five years in prison each in related cases involving the same housing project. Both were fined Taka one lakh, with a one-month default sentence for non-payment.“The plot was allotted to Sheikh Hasina without any application and in a manner that exceeded the legally authorised jurisdiction,” Judge Mamun said while delivering the sentence, as cited by PTI. The latest verdict comes just 10 days after a special tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for “crimes against humanity” linked to her government’s violent crackdown on student-led protests last year. She has rejected all allegations, insisting the charges are “biased and politically motivated.”Hasina has been living in exile in New Delhi since August 2024, after fleeing Bangladesh at the end of her 15-year rule. The Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday that Dhaka’s request for her extradition is currently under examination.Dhaka has repeatedly requested New Delhi to extradite the leader of the banned Awami League party, but India is not automatically required to comply. Under the 2013 extradition treaty, requests can be refused if the offence is considered “political” or if extradition would be “unjust or oppressive.”
