Bangladeshi authorities have filed a criminal complaint against British Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq, accusing her of abusing her position as an MP to gain influence and illegally acquire land with her aunt, the ousted prime minister. . Sheikh Hasina.
Siddiq faces growing calls to resign over his ties to Hasina, who was ousted in August after massive protests across the country. Bangladesh and faces charges of corruption and crimes against humanity.
On Monday, the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said it had filed a case against Hasina and her extended family over alleged large-scale land grabbing of lucrative plots in a suburb of the capital, Dhaka. The case named the former prime minister as well as Siddiq.
“Sheikh Hasina, in collaboration with some officials, allocated plots for herself and her family members,” said ACC director general Akhter Hossain. “The ACC investigation team obtained the necessary documents and found sufficient evidence to close the cases.”
In the police report detailing the corruption allegations, filed by ACC deputy director Mohammad Salahuddin, it is stated that Siddiq “took cognizance” of a deal orchestrated by Hasina that allocated large plots of land in Dhaka to members of his family.
He alleged that, while a British MP, Siddiq then “used his particular influence and authority to pressure and influence his aunt, Ms Sheikh Hasina” to arrange similar land allocations for the Siddiq’s mother, sister and brother. The evidence for these claims, he adds, has been “revealed from a variety of sources.”
The filing of the complaint is likely to put further pressure on Siddiq to resign from her position, which includes responsibility for fighting financial corruption. She has been accused of numerous ties to Hasina’s corrupt regime, including reports that she lived in properties paid for by Hasina’s allies, and allegations still under investigation in Bangladesh that she and members of his family allegedly embezzled billions of dollars in a nuclear power plant deal with Russia.
This week, the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition, which includes organizations such as Oxfam, Transparency International and Spotlight on Corruption, said Siddiq “currently finds himself in a serious conflict of interest” and asked him to step down of all aspects of its role involving economic crime, corruption or illegal finance.
Siddiq has repeatedly denied all allegations and said she is not involved in Bangladeshi politics. Last week she referred to the Prime Minister’s advisor on ministerial interests, requesting that an investigation be carried out to “establish the facts independently”.
Downing Street continued to express its support for Siddiq and said she had acted appropriately in submitting to an independent investigation. “As far as Tulip Siddiq is concerned, the Prime Minister has full confidence in him,” said a spokesperson for Keir Starmer.
On Tuesday morning, Government Minister Dan Jarvis told Times Radio that Siddiq was “continuing his work… the Prime Minister’s independent adviser is carefully reviewing the circumstances of this particular matter and the Prime Minister will ultimately make a decision.”