British MP Tulip Sddiq and her two siblings have been sentenced to jail along with deposed Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina in two graft cases over abuse of power in acquiring plots at Purbachal.
A special court in Dhaka Monday delivered its verdict sentencing Sheikh Hasina, her two nieces -- British MP Tulip Sddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, along with other accused.
Hasina received a total of 10 years' imprisonment while Tulip Siddiq sentenced to four years across the two cases. Azmina and Radwan get seven years' imprisonment each in one of the cases.
Apart from Hasina and her family members, the court sentenced 11 other accused to 10 years' imprisonment and another one to two years in jail in the two cases.
The co-convicts are Sharif Uddin Ahmed, former State Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works (MoHPW), Mohammad Salah Uddin, former Principal Secretary-1 of the Prime Minister Office, Kazi Wasi Uddin, former Additional Secretary of the MoHPW, Purabi Goldar, former Sr Assistant Secretary of the MoHPW, Md Anisur Rahman Miah, former RAJUK Chairman, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, former Member (Planning) of RAJUK, and Retired Major (Engr) Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, former Member (Planning) of RAJUK.
The list also includes Tonmoy Das, former Member (Development and Control) of RAJUK, Nayeb Ali Sharif, former Deputy Director (Estate and Land-3) of RAJUK, Majharul Islam, former Assistant Director (Estate and Land-3) of RAJUK, Saiful Islam Sarkar, former administrative officer of the MoHPW, and Mohammad Khurshid Alam, former Member (Estate and Land) of RAJUK.
In addition, six other accused were convicted and sentenced to five years in jail in one of the cases.
The convicts are Md Oliullah, Additonal Secretary-2 of the MoHPW, Md Nurul Islam, former Director (Estate and Land-2) of RAJUK, Md Kamrul Islam, Director (Estate and Land-2) of RAJUK, Shahidullah Khandaker, former Secretary of the MoHPW, Faria Sultana, Assistant Director (Estate and Land-3) of RAJUK, and Sheikh Shahinul Islam, Director (Estate and Land-2) of RAJUK.
The court fined 14 accused, including Hasina and Tulip, Tk 0.2 million each in two cases. In default, they will have to serve one more year in jail.
Also fined are eight others, including Azmina and Bobby, Tk 0.1 million each in one of the cases. In default, they will have to serve six more months in jail.
Judge of the Special Judge's Court no 4 in Dhaka Md Rabiul Alam delivered the verdict after concluding the trial proceeding in the cases.
All the accused in the cases except Mohammad Khurshid Alam, former Member (Estate and Land) of RAJUK, are absconding.
Hasina, 78, now in India, has already been sentenced to a total of 36 years' imprisonment in six graft cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), including the current two.
Previously, she also received a death sentence in a crimes-against-humanity case from the International Crimes Tribunal for offences committed during the 2024 mass uprising.
The special court said, "The period of sentence shall commence from the time the absconding convicts surrender before the court or from the time of their arrest."
And the period of custody already undergone by accused Mohammad Khurshid Alam shall be deducted from the total term of imprisonment imposed on him.
The court also issued arrest warrants against the runaways, specifying their respective sentences. The court orders the authorities concerned to cancel plot allocation to Azmina and Radwan.
Lawyers Khan Mohammad Moinul Hasan and Muhammad Tariqul Islam appeared in the court proceedings on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The anti-graft body in January last year lodged six separate cases with its Dhaka Integrated District Office-1 over alleged irregularities in the allocation of RAJUK plots under the Purbachal New Town project.
The ACC alleged that Hasina, in collusion with senior RAJUK officials, unlawfully secured six plots, each measuring 10 kathas, in the diplomatic zone of Sector 27 of the Purbachal New Town project for herself, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, sister Sheikh Rehana and Rehana's son Radwan Mujib Siddiq and daughter Azmina Siddiq, despite their ineligibility under existing regulations. On March 25 last year, the ACC submitted six charge sheets with the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court in Dhaka where Hasina was named as a common accused in all six cases.
On July 31, two separate special courts framed charges against 29 persons, including Hasina, Rehana, Joy, Putul, Bobby, Tulip and Azmina, in the six cases.
Concluding the trial proceedings, Special Court No 4 on Monday delivered its verdict in the last two cases involving 22 accused.
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