Dhaka (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in Bangladesh for alleged corruption in a land project, despite her denial of any wrongdoing.
As reported by The Independent, a Bangladesh court has handed British MP Tulip Siddiq a two-year jail term after finding her linked to a corruption case involving the unlawful allocation of government land.
What did the Bangladesh Court rule against Tulip Siddiq and Sheikh Hasina?
Rabiul Alam of Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court ruled that Tulip Siddiq improperly influenced her aunt, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to help her mother acquire a land plot.
The court sentenced Ms Siddiq’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, to seven years, and Ms Hasina to five years in prison.
Ms Siddiq, who represents Hampstead and Highgate, rejected the allegations as false, and the case proceeded in her absence.
The Labour MP faces multiple cases in Bangladesh, leading her to resign as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s anti-corruption minister in January.
Ms Hasina, who left for India in August following widespread anti-government protests, was previously sentenced to death in Bangladesh for crimes against humanity and was handed a combined 21-year term last week for other corruption cases.
Prosecutors accused that the 13,610 sq ft land in the Purbachal New Town project was allocated illegally, citing political influence and collusion with senior officials during Ms Hasina’s tenure as prime minister.
Court documents claimed that Ms Siddiq
“forced and influenced her aunt and the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina using her special power to secure [a plot of land] for her mother Rehana Siddiq, sister Azmina Siddiq and brother Radwan Siddiq.”
The court imposed fines of TK100,000 (£620) on 17 defendants, with non-payment resulting in an additional six months in prison, while the other 14 were sentenced to five years.
Her legal team argued that she never had a registered voter ID and has not held a Bangladeshi passport since childhood.
A group of senior British lawyers, including a former Conservative justice secretary, described the trial against Ms Siddiq to Bangladesh’s ambassador as “artificial, contrived, and unfair.”
The accused faced trials in absentia and were denied access to defense lawyers, while a lawyer representing Ms Siddiq said she was threatened and placed under house arrest.
What did Tulip Siddiq say about her Bangladesh corruption sentence?
The former cabinet minister, Tulip Siddiq, claimed the case against her was a politically motivated attack on her aunt, whose 15-year tenure was marked by authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses.
She said the
“whole process has been flawed and farcical from the beginning to the end.”
Ms Siddiq added,
“The outcome of this kangaroo court is as predictable as it is unjustified. I hope this so called ‘verdict’ will be treated with the contempt it deserves.”
She continued,
“My focus has always been my constituents in Hampstead and Highgate and I refuse to be distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh.”
Her lawyers said Ms Siddiq did not have a “proper opportunity of defending herself.”
They added,
“She is being tried in her absence without justification and… the proceedings fall far short of standards of fairness recognised internationally.”
What did the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina say about the Bangladesh corruption verdicts?
The Awami League, banned in Bangladesh and headed by Sheikh Hasina, said that the verdicts were
“entirely predictable… just as other recent ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) cases have been.”
The party claimed the Anti-Corruption Commission is controlled by “desperate, unelected men.”
Ms Hasina said in a statement through the party,
“No country is free from corruption. But corruption needs to be investigated in a way that is not itself corrupt. The ACC has failed that test today. It is controlled by an unelected government run by the Awami League’s political opponents.”
The former prime minister added,
“It has exclusively targeted members of the Awami League, or those seen to be sympathetic to our party, and done nothing to prosecute or even investigate the cronyism that has escalated in Bangladesh since Dr Mohammad Yunus and his so-called interim government took power.”
Why did Tulip Siddiq leave her ministerial role?
Earlier in January, Tulip Siddiq resigned as UK Treasury minister following a dispute over financial connections to her aunt, with an inquiry launched into her family’s use of properties from Sheikh Hasina’s regime supporters.
Mr Magnus concluded that Ms Siddiq did not breach any rules regarding her use of the homes and found no proof that her assets came from anything other than legitimate means.
He remarked that it was “regrettable that she remained unaware of the potential reputational risks” associated with her family ties and government role.
How could a Bangladesh conviction affect Tulip Siddiq in the UK?
Tulip Siddiq would not be automatically extradited to Bangladesh due to the lack of a treaty, though authorities may petition Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for her return.
If convicted and sentenced to a long term, Ms Siddiq would be barred from visiting her parents’ country of birth and might face travel restrictions to Bangladesh’s allied nations. However, her conviction could pose political challenges for relations between the UK and Bangladesh.
