Tulip Siddiq brands Bangladeshi anti-corruption trial a ‘farce’ driven by a ‘political agenda’ as court proceedings begin

Speaking as the the court case got underway in Dhaka on Wednesday, the Labour MP and former anti-corruption minister went on to say that the trial was “driven by a clear political vendetta”.

Ms Siddiq is accused of using her familial connection to deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to obtain state-owned land plots in the South Asian country.

Ms Siddiq, who is Ms Hasina’s niece, resigned from her post as an anti-corruption minister in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government in January after reports that she lived in London properties linked to her aunt and was named in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh.

She is being tried together with her mother, Sheikh Rehana, brother, Radwan Mujib, and sister, Azmina.

Ms Siddiq has been charged with facilitating their receipt of state land in a township project near the capital, Dhaka.

Read more: Tulip Siddiq claims she is ‘victim of a politically motivated smear campaign’ after Bangladesh issues arrest warrant

Read more: Kemi Badenoch calls for Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq due to corruption accusations

In a statement, Ms Siddiq said the case was “built on fabricated accusations”.

“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,” she added.

The four were indicted earlier and asked to appear in court, but the prosecution said they absconded and would be tried in absentia.

The trial at the Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 formally began on Wednesday, hearing evidence from officials from the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission.

The court had heard from two officials and a third was expected to testify later in the day, Muhammad Tariqul Islam, a public prosecutor, said.

Ms Siddiq’s lawyers had previously called the charges baseless and politically motivated.

Separately, the anti-corruption investigation has also alleged that Ms Siddiq’s family was involved in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh in which large sums of money were said to have been embezzled.

The Labour MP represents the north London district of Hampstead and Highgate and served as economic secretary to the Treasury – the minister responsible for tackling financial corruption.

Ms Hasina was ousted after a 15-year rule in a student-led mass uprising in August last year. She fled to India and has been in exile ever since.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took over as interim leader and vowed to try the former prime minister.