Dhaka: A Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 21 years in prison and her two children to five years each in connection with irregularities in the allocation of plots under a government housing scheme.
The 78-year-old Hasina, who is already facing the death penalty, along with her son Sajib Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul, were sentenced by a Dhaka special court in three cases over corruption charges in a government housing scheme in Purbachal, adjacent to the capital.
"Sheikh Hasina was allocated plots beyond her official jurisdiction without having filed any application," Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun said in his verdict.
The three cases related to the allotment have each been sentenced to seven years in prison, bringing the total jail term for the ousted prime minister to 21 years. Apart from Hasina's family, 20 other people, including former junior housing minister Sharif Ahmed and housing ministry officials, have been tried in the cases and all but one have been given varying prison terms. The acquitted person is a junior official in the ministry.