Tulip Siddiq, niece of ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and a former UK government minister, is taking legal advice to sue Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission over false allegations. The claims, linked to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project and illegal land allocation, prompted her resignation and an in-absentia conviction. Siddiq denies involvement, pointing to the absence of evidence in the proceedings.
Tulip Siddiq, 43, a British Labour MP and niece of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned as Economic Secretary to the Treasury on January 14, 2025, amid corruption allegations from Dhaka's current regime. A person close to her said Siddiq is taking legal advice on suing Bangladeshi authorities. Her lawyers at Stephenson Harwood warned the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that she reserves all rights against the 'false and vexatious allegations' harming her reputation.
ACC Chairman Mohammed Abdul Momen told the BBC the probe was based on documentary evidence of corruption. However, a Dhaka court convicted Siddiq in absentia on December 1 without presenting such evidence; prosecutors relied on statements from witnesses Osman Gani and Iqbal Hussain, who claimed they overheard her influencing land allocation to her mother, Sheikh Rehana, via phone or apps. No screenshots or direct proof was shown. Siddiq stated she does not know these witnesses and would contact her aunt directly if needed.
An ACC media note from February 4, 2025, accused embezzlement of $5 billion from the overpriced Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, implicating Hasina, her son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy, and Siddiq, who allegedly received a £700,000 luxury flat. Siddiq's lawyers noted the note relies on unnamed 'accusations' and reports. She denied involvement in the Russia-Bangladesh agreement for Rosatom's project, signed years after a 2004 gift of the King's Cross property from Abdul Motalif, bought for £195,000 in 2001. She declared it in the MPs' register.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer accepted her resignation with sadness, citing no breach of the Ministerial Code. On April 13, 2025, ACC issued an arrest warrant for illegal land allocation, threatening an Interpol Red Notice. Lawyers requested evidence but received no reply. The British Labour Party stated it cannot recognize the judgement due to lack of legal representation. In May 2025, the UK's National Crime Agency froze £400 million in assets linked to Hasina allies, including a London property for Rehana. On June 4, Siddiq invited interim leader Muhammad Yunus to meet in London to clear misunderstandings, but he declined, citing ongoing legal procedures. Bangladesh High Commissioner Abida Islam said documents were sent to Siddiq's Bangladeshi address as a citizen.
