Bangladesh Court awards 21-jail term for Sheikh Hasina in corruption cases

DHAKA: A Bangladesh court awarded a 21-year jail term for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was expelled from the country. The sentence has been awarded to her in three corruption cases. All three cases have been filed alleging irregularities in the allocation of plots in the Rajuk New Town project in Purbachol. The sentence is for seven years in each case. The court observed that Sheikh Hasina received more plots than were legally approved without submitting any applications.

A Bangladesh criminal tribunal had sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death weeks ago. The verdict came after the court found Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity during last year's student protests. Following this, the Yunus government in Bangladesh has tightened security.

Apart from Hasina, the International Criminal Tribunal had also found former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former IGP Chaudhry Abdullah Al-Mamun guilty in the case. The court had held the trio responsible for the killings, torture, disappearances and arson during the student protests in July-August 2024. This is the first conviction of a Bangladeshi prime minister for crimes against humanity. Hasina fled to India on August 5 last year following the student protests.