Dhaka. A Bangladesh court has sentenced the country’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in prison in two separate corruption cases to alleged irregularities in land allotment in a government housing project. Government news agency ‘BSS’ reported that Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-4 pronounced the verdict and sentenced Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment (five years in each case).

The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her relatives Radwan Mujeeb Siddiq, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq and others in cases of alleged irregularities in the allotment of plots under the Rajuk New Town project. The verdict was announced at around 12.30 pm.

Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment (two years in each case) while Radwan Mujeeb Siddiq and Azmeena Siddiq were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment each in both cases. Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year imprisonment in each case, a total of two years.

The court also imposed a fine of Taka 1 lakh each on all the convicts and ordered them to undergo additional six months imprisonment in default of payment of the fine. Hasina has been living in India since leaving Bangladesh on August 5 last year amid massive protests. Earlier the court had declared him a fugitive.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had registered these cases regarding alleged misuse in the allotment of plots. According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allotment process and violated the existing rules and regulations of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartarpaksha (RAJUK).

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