A court in Bangladesh has handed a ten-year prison term to the country’s deposed former prime minister for illegally granting state-owned property to family members. The verdict was announced on Monday, marking another significant legal blow against the fallen leader.
The case centered on two parcels of land within a major development project on the outskirts of Dhaka. Each plot measured approximately 7,200 square feet. According to official reports, these properties were improperly awarded to the former leader’s relatives. Two of her family members received seven-year sentences each.
A British lawmaker, who is a niece of the former prime minister, was also convicted. She received a four-year prison term for allegedly using her influence to help secure the land for her siblings. Financial penalties totaling roughly $816 were imposed on each defendant.
A spokesperson for the political party to which the British lawmaker belongs issued a statement rejecting the verdict. The statement claimed their colleague had been denied a fair legal process and had never been properly informed of the allegations against her, despite numerous requests through her legal representatives.
This conviction is part of a broader wave of legal proceedings targeting the former leader since she was removed from power following widespread protests in mid-2024. She has been living in exile in neighboring India. Late last year, another court sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity related to a violent crackdown on demonstrators that resulted in thousands of casualties.
The former leader was the daughter of the nation’s founding president. She served two terms as prime minister, first in the late 1990s and then for over a decade starting in 2009, making her the longest-serving head of government in the country’s history. Her administration faced persistent accusations of human rights abuses and extensive corruption.
Economic analyses suggest that billions of dollars in public funds were lost to corruption during her time in power. This alleged theft of public resources stoked significant public anger, especially given that nearly a fifth of the population lives below the poverty line.