Tulip Siddiq, the UK’s anti-corruption minister, has resigned following an investigation into her family’s alleged involvement in a significant embezzlement scandal in Bangladesh.
The resignation on Tuesday took place as the 42 year-old politician was named in December as part of Bangladesh’s investigation into whether her family was involved in siphoning off funds from Bangladeshi infrastructure projects.
Siddiq, whose aunt is Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, faced scrutiny when she was implicated in an investigation regarding allegations that her family had embezzled up to £3.9 billion from infrastructure funds in the south Asian country.
Hasina fled Bangladesh last year after more than a decade in charge, and is facing allegations of corruption and embezzlement in a probe launched by the new Bangladeshi government, which names Siddiq directly.
Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commission (ACC) alleged financial irregularities in the awarding of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant contract worth $12.65bn, believing Hasina and Siddiq may have benefited.
Further complicating matters, reports emerged that Siddiq resided in London properties linked to individuals associated with her aunt’s political party, the Awami League. One such property was reportedly provided to her without charge by a developer connected to the party.
Siddiq has, however, denied any wrongdoing and personal involvement in the alleged corruption amid the ACC’s ongoing investigation into the case.
This comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s standards adviser Laurie Magnus, who Siddiq referred herself to, said he had not found evidence of her breaching the ministerial code.
In a letter to the prime minister to announce her resignation, Siddiq said that while she had done nothing wrong and Magnus found she had not breached ministerial rules, continuing in her role was “likely to be a distraction from the work of government.”
Starmer said he accepted with “sadness” her resignation which followed the departure by British transport minister Louise Haigh late last year over a criminal offense before she entered government.
The prime minister has appointed Emma Reynolds, who was a pensions minister, to Siddiq’s role.