Dhaka, Dec 1 (NationPress) A court in Bangladesh has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years of imprisonment due to discrepancies in the allocation of land under the Purbachal New Town project, according to local news reports.

Her sister, Sheikh Rehana, received a seven-year sentence, while her niece, British MP Tulip Siddiq, was sentenced to two years behind bars.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge's Court-4 in Dhaka, and it was announced in the absence of the accused, amidst heightened security outside the court.

In this case, 14 other defendants have also been sentenced to five years each. All 17 individuals, including Hasina, Rehana, and Siddiq, were fined Bangladeshi Taka 1 lakh each, with a potential additional six months of imprisonment for those unable to pay the fines, as reported by The Daily Star.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh filed six separate cases between January 12 and 14, alleging misconduct in plot allocations.

This latest ruling follows a previous sentence handed down on November 27, where Hasina was sentenced to 21 years for related corruption charges in the same project.

In response to the verdict, Hasina and her family categorically denied the allegations, branding them as “malicious, politically motivated, and unfounded.” They asserted, “We firmly reject all corruption claims, which are tainted by political motivations from our adversaries. The ACC operates under a government that is not elected, using biased evidence and denying us the opportunity to defend ourselves.”

Furthermore, they criticized the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, claiming, “These accusations are clearly malicious and politically driven, aiming to involve innocent family members who have no political connection.”

The Awami League party, led by Hasina, has condemned the corruption charges as “baseless and fabricated,” suggesting that the cases are designed to tarnish their reputation.