A court in Bangladesh’s capital sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison and her niece, British Labour Party lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, to two years for corruption involving a government land project. The judge said Monday that Hasina misused her power as prime minister while Siddiq was guilty of corruptly influencing her aunt in helping her mother get a land plot. Siddiq’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, was given seven years in prison and was considered the prime suspect. The case involved the Purbachal New Town project in a suburb of Dhaka. Siddiq had denied the allegations. Hasina has been in exile in India and the trial was conducted in absentia.
