Tulip Siddiq: Bangladesh issues arrest warrant for UK MP Tulip Siddiq amid corruption probe
Bangladesh on Sunday issued an arrest warren against British MP Tulip Siddiq over allegations linked to a widening corruption probe involving her aunt, the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The warrant issued by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), accuses Siddiq of unlawfully acquiring land through political influence, The Financial Times reported.
The Hampstead and Highgate MP is among more than 50 individuals named in connection with the investigation, which centres on alleged misuse of state property during Hasina’s regime, removed from power last August after mass protests.
The ACC claims Siddiq and her family received a 7,200 sq ft plot in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone and were involved in securing multiple land allocations via Hasina’s government. The case also includes allegations related to a 2013 nuclear power deal with Russia, where Siddiq is accused of helping inflate the project cost, reported BBC.
Siddiq has strongly denied any wrongdoing. In a statement via her lawyers at Stephenson Harwood, she said she has “never had a plot of land in Bangladesh” and “has never influenced any allocation of plots of land to her family members or anyone else.”
Her legal team insisted the charges are “completely false” and “politically motivated”, adding that neither Siddiq nor her lawyers had been contacted formally by the ACC or informed of any hearing or warrant.
The warrant reportedly stems from her non-attendance at a Dhaka court hearing earlier this week, as per the Financial Times. Her legal representatives argue she had no knowledge of the hearing or prior summons.
Siddiq resigned in January as city minister following scrutiny over her ties to the Hasina regime.
The accusations have ignited political backlash in the UK. A Conservative Party spokesperson said, “If it is the case that Keir Starmer’s choice for anti-corruption minister is the subject of an international arrest warrant for corruption, she should immediately stand down as Labour MP.” The party also criticised Starmer’s reported openness to her returning to government, according to The Guardian.
Siddiq has maintained she is being targeted as part of a broader political campaign against Hasina’s family. ACC chair Mohammad Abdul Momen rejected these claims, was quoted by BBC that the investigation is based on “documentary evidence” and that Siddiq “must not shy away from the court proceedings.”
Bangladesh does not have a formal extradition treaty with the UK, though it is listed as a 2B extradition country, meaning clear evidence must be shown for any legal action to proceed.
