UK MP Tulip Siddiq Sentenced to Two Years in Bangladesh Jail for Corruption

LONDON: Labour MP and former Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh after being found guilty on corruption allegations during a trial held in her absence.

The London-based MP for Hampstead and Highgate was one of 17 people tried in Dhaka and was found guilty of using her influence to secure a plot of land for her mother, sister, and brother on the outskirts of the capital. Court documents claimed Siddiq “forced and influenced her aunt and the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina using her special power” to obtain the land.

Ms. Siddiq has rejected the charges as “false and vexatious” and is based in the UK, making it highly unlikely she will serve the sentence. She was also handed a 100,000 Bangladeshi Taka fine (approximately $821), with failure to pay resulting in an additional six months added to her sentence.

The verdict is the latest development in a series of sweeping legal cases launched by prosecutors against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her associates, and family members, following the overturning of her regime in July 2024.

Ms. Siddiq is the niece of the ousted Prime Minister, and her connection to the regime prompted her resignation as a junior minister in the UK government in January to avoid being a “distraction.”

Her lawyers have disputed Bangladesh’s jurisdiction, arguing she is not a Bangladeshi citizen and has not held a Bangladeshi passport since she was a child. Conversely, prosecutors claimed she was tried as a Bangladeshi citizen after obtaining her passport, ID, and tax number.

The trial’s fairness has been heavily criticized by senior legal figures in the UK. Just last week, a group of prominent lawyers, including former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, and human rights lawyer Lady Cherie Blair, wrote a letter raising concerns over the conduct of the trial.

They stated that Ms. Siddiq was unable to secure proper legal representation, calling the process “artificial and a contrived and unfair way of pursuing a prosecution.”

The verdict comes two weeks after Sheikh Hasina herself was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity related to the brutal crackdown on protests that led to her downfall. The Awami League, which Hasina leads, immediately denied the allegations and dismissed the verdict against Ms. Siddiq as “entirely predictable,” citing the lack of judicial fairness.