Monday, 01 December, 2025
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.
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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.
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