A Bangladesh court on Thursday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to a total of 21 years in prison after convicting her in three separate corruption cases, marking yet another major legal setback for the longtime political leader. The verdict comes just weeks after she was handed a death sentence in a separate case involving alleged crimes against humanity linked to last year’s student protest movement.
According to a report published by the Dhaka Tribune, the 78-year-old Awami League chief fled Bangladesh in August last year and has been residing in India since then. Despite repeated summons and court orders requiring her return, she has failed to appear before the judiciary. On November 17, a special tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia, accusing her of authorizing brutal actions against protesting students in 2023.
The latest conviction stems from investigations conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission, which filed three cases accusing Hasina of illegally acquiring valuable government-owned plots in the Bhachal New City Project on the outskirts of Dhaka. The court found that she had abused her authority as head of government by using state resources and powers for personal benefit and to favor members of her own family.
Judge Abdullah Al-Mamun, who announced the verdict, stated that the evidence clearly established that Sheikh Hasina had misused her official position and violated her oath of office by treating state property as her personal assets. She was handed three separate prison sentences of seven years each, amounting to a total of 21 years.
The court also sentenced her son, Sajeeb Wazed—currently residing in the United States—and her daughter Saima Wazed, who serves in a senior position at the United Nations, to five years’ imprisonment each in the same cases.
Prosecutor Khan Moinul Hassan expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling, saying the sentences were too lenient given the seriousness of the allegations. He added that the prosecution intends to challenge the verdict in hopes of securing harsher penalties. The Anti-Corruption Commission will determine the next steps in the legal process.
The corruption cases collectively named 47 accused individuals. The first case included 12 defendants, including Sheikh Hasina; the second listed 17, including Hasina and her son Sajeeb; while the third case named 18 defendants, including Hasina, her son, and her daughter Saima.
