Trial of Labour MP begins in Bangladesh

The trial of Labour MP Tulip Siddiq over corruption allegations has formally begun in Bangladesh.

The former minister did not attend the hearing, where investigators from the country’s corruption watchdog set out the case against her and 20 other individuals, including her aunt, her mother, her brother and her sister.

She is accused of influencing her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as Bangladesh’s prime minister last year, to secure a plot of land in a suburb of the capital Dhaka for her family members.

The MP for Hampstead and Highgate, who denies the allegations, said the “so-called trial” was “a farce” built on “fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta”.

Hasina fled Bangladesh for India last August after being ousted amid a crackdown by government forces on student-led protests which saw hundreds killed.

A copy of the case alleges that whilst she was a serving MP 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”.

As per Bangladeshi law, if an individual has any plot or flat in or around Dhaka, they are not permitted to receive any plot in the lucrative Purbachal project, prosecutors said.

If found guilty, the maximum sentence would be a lifetime imprisonment, according to prosecutors.

The prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Tariqul Islam, said Ms Siddiq was being tried as a Bangladeshi citizen as the ACC found her Bangladeshi passport, national ID, and tax identity number.

Ms Siddiq’s lawyers previously told the Financial Times: “Tulip has never had a Bangladesh national identity card or voter ID and has not held a passport since she was a child.”

In a statement on X, Ms Siddiq said: “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.

“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.”

She added: “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. Continuing to smear my name to score political points is both baseless and damaging.”

The Bangladeshi authorities issued an arrest warrant for Ms Siddiq earlier this year.

The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for 28 August.

Ms Siddiq resigned as Treasury minister in Sir Keir Starmer’s government in January, saying continuing in her role would be a “distraction”, although she insisted she had done nothing wrong.

It followed an investigation into the allegations against her by the prime minister’s standards adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus.

In his report, Sir Laurie said he had “not identified evidence of improprieties”.

But he said it was “regrettable” that Siddiq had not been more alert to the “potential reputational risks” of her ties to her aunt.

The trial in Bangladesh relates to three charges, while Ms Siddiq also faces another charge of allegedly illegally acquiring a flat in the Gulshan area of Dhaka.

The ACC is also investigating a separate case against Siddiq and her family over allegations of embezzlement of £3.9bn connected to a Russian-funded nuclear power plant deal with Bangladesh in 2013.

Siddiq has denied any involvement in the deal.

The investigation is based on a series of allegations made by Bobby Hajjaj, a political opponent of Hasina.

Bangladeshi authorities estimate that about $234bn (£174bn) was siphoned off from Bangladesh through corrupt means while Hasina was in power.