UK-based investigators are considering assisting Bangladesh’s interim government in probing major corruption cases, particularly allegations of “illicit financial transfers” during the previous administration.
Sky News, a British news organisation, reports the UK’s National Crime Agency, or NCA, is examining how its International Anti-Corruption Co-ordination Centre, or IACCC, can support Bangladesh’s government and law-enforcing agencies in such investigations.
The report follows a statement by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus regarding allegations against Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, who is the niece of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Sky News cites sources indicating that UK authorities are not directly investigating Tulip.
However, there is growing interest in determining whether money was siphoned out of Bangladesh under the Awami League government and funneled into the UK.
In an interview with Sky News, Yunus described the allegations against Tulip as “serious”, saying: “Her vast wealth in Bangladesh will be scrutinised, and she must be held accountable.”
Following the fall of the Hasina government, a delegation from the UK’s NCA visited Bangladesh in October and November 2024.
The IACCC, funded by the UK government, consists of financial crime experts who collaborate with international partners on grand corruption cases.
While UK sources clarify that no specific probe into Tulip has been confirmed, the possibility of tracing “illicit funds” from Bangladesh to the UK is under review.
The accusations against Tulip stem from her ties to her aunt Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 after weeks of protests.
The interim government has since accused Hasina of corruption, enforced disappearances, and involvement in the deadly July protests.
Yunus told Sky News that Hasina must face justice, saying: “Whether she is present in the country or not, she will be held accountable for ‘crimes against humanity’.”
He added, “Justice will be served—not just for her, but for her associates, family members, and close aides.”
Following Hasina’s departure, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, launched investigations into Tulip and other members of Hasina’s family over allegations of “illicit wealth and money laundering”.
Investigators have uncovered several properties in London linked to Tulip, allegedly gifted by individuals close to Hasina’s inner circle.
The controversy led to Tulip resigning from her UK ministerial role in January, though she continues to deny any wrongdoing.
A spokesperson for Tulip dismissed the accusations as baseless, saying the ACC has not contacted her.
Tulip has also been named in cases related to illegal land acquisitions in Dhaka’s Purbachal, as well as the ownership of a luxury retreat, Tulip’s Territory, in Gazipur’s Kanaiya.
British newspaper The Telegraph also reported her connection to a high-end building named Siddiqs’ in Gulshan, along with another Gulshan property and Hasina’s residence in Dhanmondi.
A previous transaction involving a £100,000 apartment in Dhaka, which Tulip co-owned with another family member before selling it in 2015, has also surfaced in investigative reports.
Despite these allegations, Labour sources said Tulip does not have an overseas bank account, does not own any property abroad and had not been approached by authorities in either the UK or Bangladesh.
They further indicated that much of the allegations against the Labour MP were unfounded and that she had become embroiled in Bangladesh’s political disputes, the Sky News reports.
A spokesperson for Tulip said she “totally denies the claims” and had “not been contacted on these matters”.