London politics has been yanked into the centre of Dhaka’s most volatile legal drama as a Bangladeshi court prepares today (Monday) to deliver a corruption verdict implicating Sheikh Rehana and her daughter, former UK junior minister Tulip Siddiq—an outcome that could send shockwaves from Westminster to the Bangladeshi capital. The case, tied to the alleged illegal allocation of a 10-katha plot in the Purbachal New Town mega-project, places the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s London-based extended family under intensifying scrutiny. Hasina, Rehana, Tulip and 14 others are named as suspects in what prosecutors describe as one of the “most brazen” abuses of state land in decades. The ruling comes at a moment already shaking Bangladesh’s political foundations. Last week, Hasina herself was sentenced to 21 years in three separate corruption cases involving Purbachal plots—only months after receiving a death sentence from the International Crimes Tribunal over the July Uprising of 2024. Today’s judgement could determine whether her sister and niece join the mounting list of family members now facing criminal conviction. Prosecutors allege Tulip used “special influence” within her aunt’s office to secure land for her mother, brother Radwan Mujib Siddiq (Bobby) and sister Azmina Siddiq (Ruponti), in violation of RAJUK rules, eligibility criteria, and the government quota system. She is currently named in two additional plot-corruption cases now entering the testimony stage. If convicted under Section 409 of the Penal Code, she and Rehana face life imprisonment. The Anti-Corruption Commission says it has presented overwhelming evidence. “We expect the maximum sentence,” said ACC prosecutor Tarikul Islam. Only one suspect—former RAJUK member Khurshed Alam—is currently in custody, having received lighter sentences in related cases after surrendering “out of respect for the court”. The Purbachal inquiry began in the aftermath of last year’s July Uprising, which toppled the Awami League government. Hasina fled to India; her family members departed Bangladesh in the days that followed. Fresh allegations emerged in December that six members of her family had secured prime land through political manipulation. Six plots—numbers 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19—were allegedly allocated to Hasina, Joy, Putul, Rehana, Bobby and Ruponti. The High Court later appointed a three-member committee to investigate RAJUK irregularities across 15 years. Testimonies from senior ministry, land registry, tax and banking officials filled months of hearings before the court set today as verdict day. The charges against Rehana include concealing her existing property portfolio and bypassing the formal application process entirely, instead “requesting allocation” through Hasina. Tulip is accused of “direct assistance”, “influence” and “unlawful pressure”. Hasina herself is charged with abuse of power and conspiring to destroy official records. Tulip’s troubles have followed her back to the United Kingdom. Her meteoric rise—serving as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and Minister for the City and Anti-Corruption after Labour’s landslide—unravelled after British media linked her to a £700,000 London flat allegedly “gifted” by a developer close to the former Awami League administration. She was further dragged into controversy over procurement scandals tied to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. The uproar forced her resignation in January. Her lawyers accuse the ACC of violating due process and failing to provide “authentic documents”, allegations firmly rejected by ACC Chairman Abdul Momen. “If she is innocent, why did she resign? Why the lawyers, if she had nothing to hide?” he said. Born in south London and educated at King’s College, Tulip is one of the highest-profile British-Bangladeshi politicians of her generation. Her fall from ministerial office has stunned Westminster—and today’s ruling may determine whether her political career recovers or ends in disgrace. The Purbachal prosecutions now form one of the most sweeping anti-corruption drives ever mounted against a Bangladeshi political dynasty. Seven members of the Hasina–Rehana family have been indicted across six cases since August 2024. With Hasina facing three prison terms, a death sentence, and a widening ring of financial-crime investigations, the legal siege surrounding her family shows no sign of easing. As Dhaka’s Special Judges’ Court convenes today, the eyes of two capitals—Dhaka and London—are fixed on a single ruling. The consequences may stretch far beyond one plot of land, touching questions of impunity, political patronage and the reach of anti-graft institutions across borders.

The interim government has issued the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance, 2025, aiming to ease and streamline administration at the apex court and advance full judicial independence. The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs issued the ordinance on Sunday under the president’s directive. All provisions except one, Section 7, will take immediate effect. Section 7 will come into force once the Supreme Court Secretariat is formally established and fully operational, after which the government -- consulting the Supreme Court -- will activate it through a gazette notification, the ministry said in a statement. Section 7 states that the Supreme Court will, on behalf of the president, carry out all administrative functions related to the control and discipline of judges of subordinate courts. Section 7 is reproduced below: Discharge of service administration duties. (1) The Supreme Court Secretariat shall be the institution responsible for service administration. (2) To fulfil the purpose of Article 116 of the Constitution, the Secretariat will perform, on behalf of the president, all administrative responsibilities involving the control and disciplinary matters of service members. (3) Matters relating to the control and discipline of service members shall be placed by the secretary of the Secretariat, through the registrar general, before the relevant committee of the Supreme Court for its recommendations. (4) Members of the committee referred to in sub-section (3) shall be nominated by judges of the Appellate Division following prescribed procedures. (5) Notwithstanding sub-section (2), postings or transfers of service members to the Law and Justice Division and its subordinate institutions, or to any other ministry, division, organisation, institution or authority, will be carried out -- after consultation with the Supreme Court -- under rules framed by the president pursuant to Article 133 of the Constitution. On Nov 20, the interim government’s Advisory Council gave final approval to the draft of the ordinance establishing the Supreme Court Secretariat. As part of institutionalising judicial independence, the chief justice initiated the process last year, when the Supreme Court submitted a proposal on Oct 27 to the law ministry seeking a distinct judicial Secretariat. The ordinance marks the fulfilment of a long-held aspiration to set up a separate secretariat for the judiciary. Calls for an independent judiciary in Bangladesh have spanned decades. BCS Judicial Association General Secretary Masdar Hossain and his colleagues filed a case in 1995, seeking to free the judiciary from executive control. In 1999, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court delivered its landmark verdict, laying the foundation for an independent judiciary. The interim government on Nov 20 gave approval to establish a separate Secretariat for the judiciary, 26 years after the ruling. Once the ordinance comes fully into effect, the Supreme Court Secretariat will handle all administrative matters concerning lower court judges, including transfers, promotions, disciplinary issues, leave, and recruitment. Law Advisor Asif Nazrul said the Secretariat is expected to become fully operational within the next few months. At the media briefing, officials clarified that only judges engaged in judicial functions would remain under the Supreme Court Secretariat. Judges serving in administrative roles at other government bodies such as the Election Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Judicial Administration Training Institute, and Law Commission would continue under the purview of the law ministry.

Pope Leo said on Sunday that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state, reaffirming the Vatican's position. "We all know that at this time Israel still does not accept that solution, but we see it as the only solution," Leo, the first US pope, told journalists on a flight from Turkey to Lebanon during his first in-flight press conference. "We are also friends with Israel and we are seeking to be a mediating voice between the two parties that might help them close in on a solution with justice for everyone," added the pope, speaking in Italian. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed opposition to a Palestinian state after even its biggest ally the U.S. indicated support for Palestinian independence. Leo spoke in a brief eight-minute press conference focused on his visit to Turkey, which he visited from Thursday to Sunday on his first overseas trip since election in May as leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church. The pope said he and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed both the Israel-Palestinian and Ukraine-Russia conflicts. Turkey has an important role to play helping end both wars, Leo said. During his visit to Turkey, the pope warned that humanity's future was at risk because of the world's unusual number of bloody conflicts and condemned violence in the name of religion. CRITICAL OF ISRAELI MILITARY IN GAZA Leo, who usually prefers using careful, diplomatic language, ramped up criticism earlier this year of Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Turkey is predominantly Muslim but is also home to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's 260 million Orthodox Christians. Leo praised Turkey as an example of religious co-existence. "People of different religions are able to live in peace," said the pope. "That is one example of what I think we all would be looking for throughout the world." Leo is visiting Lebanon until Tuesday, when he returns to Rome.