Former Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq has dismissed a corruption trial against her in Bangladesh as proceedings began in Dhaka on Wednesday. The MP for Hampstead and Highgate resigned from government in January and is accused of illegally receiving a 7,200 square foot plot of land in Bangladesh's capital.
Siddiq is the niece of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country in August after 15 years in power. Hasina had previously held the post for five years and is the daughter of Bangladesh's founding president. She was ousted amid violent student-led protests that resulted in nearly 300 deaths and is now in exile in India.
Trial proceedings and accusations
Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission sought an arrest warrant for Siddiq in April over the land allegations. Bangladeshi anti-corruption officials gave evidence in court on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Siddiq claims she has received no official communication about the trial proceedings. She said the allegations against her have "repeatedly shifted" over the past year, yet Bangladeshi authorities have never contacted her directly.
Siddiq's defence statement
"The so-called trial now under way in Dhaka is nothing more than a farce - built on fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta," Siddiq posted on X as the case began. "Over the past year, the allegations against me have repeatedly shifted, yet I have never been contacted by the Bangladeshi authorities once."
"I have never received a court summons, no official communication, and no evidence," she continued. "If this were a genuine legal process, the authorities would have engaged with me or my legal team, responded to our formal correspondence, and presented the evidence they claim to hold."
"Instead, they have peddled false and vexatious allegations that have been briefed to the media but never formally put to me by investigators," Siddiq added. "Even my offer to meet Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus during his recent visit to London was refused. Such conduct is wholly incompatible with the principles of a fair trial that we uphold in the UK."
"I have been clear from the outset that I have done nothing wrong and will respond to any credible evidence that is presented to me," she concluded. "Continuing to smear my name to score political points is both baseless and damaging."
Political background and resignation
Siddiq resigned after six months in government following an investigation by the Prime Minister's ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus into her links to Hasina's regime. She came under scrutiny over her use of London properties linked to her aunt's allies and said she had become "a distraction" from Labour's agenda.
Campaigners from her aunt's Awami League party had previously campaigned for Siddiq during general elections. She told the Guardian she had been "collateral damage" in the long-standing feud between Yunus and Hasina, saying: "These are wider forces that I'm battling against… There's no doubt people have done wrong things in Bangladesh, and they should be punished for it. It's just I'm not one of them."
Family history and context
Hasina and Siddiq's mother Sheikh Rehana fled Bangladesh in a military helicopter to India after the violent protests. The family has a tragic history - Hasina's entire family, apart from her husband, children and sister, were murdered during the August 1975 Bangladeshi coup in which Siddiq's grandfather, Bangladesh's first president, was assassinated.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
