Bangladesh Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to 21 Years for Corr¥ption

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to 21 years in prison after a Dhaka court found her guilty in three corr¥ption cases linked to the controversial RAJUK Purbachal New Town land allocation scheme.

The court ruled on Thursday that Hasina and several associates illegally obtained multiple residential plots despite being ineligible under government regulations. The sentences seven years for each case were ordered to run consecutively, bringing the total to 21 years.

Hasina, who has been out of power since her government was overthrown earlier this year, was tried in absentia. Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter, Saima Wazed Putul, also received five-year prison terms each in connection with the same cases.

Other defendants were handed varying sentences, while one individual was acquitted.

The ruling comes just weeks after a separate tribunal sentenced Hasina to death over alleged cr+mes tied to last year’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests an outcome her supporters and several international critics have described as politically motivated.

Authorities, however, maintain that the convictions reflect long-standing abuses of public office and misuse of state resources.

The verdict has again intensified political tensions in Bangladesh, raising concerns about due process, judicial independence and the country’s broader democratic trajectory.