Trendpills
A court in Dhaka has found former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her niece, British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, guilty of corruption. The verdict, delivered in absentia, relates to charges of illegally acquiring land through a state-run housing project during Hasina's tenure.
Senior Special Judge As-Shams Jeglul Hossain of the Dhaka Metropolitan court delivered the judgment, which is part of a broader anti-corruption crackdown by the interim government that took power after Hasina was ousted in a mass uprising in August 2024. Both Hasina, who fled to India, and Siddiq, a lawmaker for Hampstead and Highgate in the UK, were not present for the trial. The court has been trying prominent figures, including many from Hasina's former cabinet and family, for alleged abuses of power.
The case was initiated by the country's Anti-Corruption Commission. It centered on allegations that Hasina and her relatives, including Siddiq, used their influence to improperly obtain multiple plots of land in an upscale housing project near the capital, Dhaka. An arrest warrant for Siddiq and other family members had previously been issued in April 2025 as the investigation progressed.
Siddiq has consistently denied the allegations, calling them a “politically motivated smear campaign” designed to harass her and tarnish her family's reputation. Her supporters and members of the Awami League party maintain that the trials are intended to destroy the legacy of the political dynasty founded by Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s independence leader. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has pledged to root out systemic corruption. This conviction marks a significant moment in its campaign, though it raises questions about the legal process and the pursuit of political figures who are no longer in the country. The full details of the sentence have not been made widely public, and the practical implications for Siddiq, a sitting British MP, remain unclear.
