Labour MP and former minister Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh after being tried in absentia on corruption charges alongside 16 others. The case alleges she influenced her aunt, Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure land for her family near Dhaka, accusations Siddiq refutes. Based in London, she is unlikely to serve the sentence.
Siddiq, who resigned as a Treasury minister in January to avoid distractions over her familial connections, faces several pending charges in Bangladesh. Since Hasina’s regime ended, officials have pursued numerous legal proceedings against her and related parties.
The trial against Siddiq commenced in Dhaka in August. Documents indicated that she used her influence to assist her family in acquiring land. However, Siddiq's legal team disputes her identification as a Bangladeshi citizen, arguing she lacks relevant documents like a passport or voter ID. Sentenced by Judge Rabiul Alam, Siddiq also received a fine of 100,000 Bangladeshi Taka ($821; £620), with a potential six-month extension if unpaid. Initially, Siddiq criticized the accusations as false and politically motivated.
The UK Prime Minister's Chief Secretary Darren Jones commented on BBC Breakfast, characterizing the trial as more political than legal. He emphasized it was a decision by a foreign court and affirmed Siddiq’s intent to continue serving her constituents.
Senior UK legal figures, including former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and human rights lawyer Lady Cherie Blair, have expressed concerns over the trial's conduct, describing it as flawed. They criticized the lack of legal representation for Siddiq during proceedings.
The verdict follows another recent ruling in which Hasina received a death sentence for her part in a crackdown on protests preceding her removal from office in 2024.