Labor MP and former minister Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh after being tried in her absence alongside 16 others over corruption allegations.
She was found guilty of influencing her aunt, deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to obtain land for her family on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, a claim she categorically denies.
Siddiq, who is based in London and has denied the charges, is unlikely to serve his sentence.
The sitting MP for Hampstead and Highgate continues to face a number of outstanding charges in Bangladesh.
Since the overthrow of the Hasina regime, prosecutors in Bangladesh have launched a number of high-profile legal cases against the former leader, his former associates and his family members.
The trial involving Siddiq – who resigned as treasury minister in January due to controversy over his links to his aunt – has been taking place in Dhaka since August.
Court documents included claims that Siddiq “forced and influenced his aunt and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by using his special power to obtain [a plot of land] for his mother Rehana Siddiq, his sister Azmina Siddiq and his brother Radwan Siddiq”.
A prosecutor from Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) previously said Siddiq was tried as a Bangladeshi citizen, with authorities obtaining her Bangladeshi passport, identity card and tax number.
Siddiq’s lawyers disputed that she was a Bangladeshi citizen, telling the Financial Times that she had “never had” an ID or voting card and “had not had a passport since she was a child”.
She was sentenced by Judge Rabiul Alam to two years in prison and fined 100,000 Bangladeshi Taka ($821; £620). If she does not pay, six months will be added to the sentence.
At the start of the trial, the deputy said prosecutors had “peddled false and vexatious allegations that were presented to the media but never formally presented to me by investigators.”
A statement on his behalf continued: “I have made it clear from the outset that I have done nothing wrong and will respond to any credible evidence presented to me. Continuing to smear my name to score political points is both baseless and damaging.”
She has not made any public comments since the verdict was handed down.
Last week, a group of senior lawyers raised concerns with Bangladesh’s representative in the United Kingdom over the manner in which the trial had proceeded.
Signatories to the statement included former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, former Attorney General Dominic Grieve and Lady Cherie Blair, a human rights lawyer and wife of former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair.
In a letter first reported by the Guardian, they said Siddiq had been unable to obtain proper legal representation during the trial, adding: “Such a process is artificial and constitutes an artificial and unfair way of pursuing prosecutions.”
The verdict comes two weeks after Hasina was sentenced to death in a separate trial for her role in the brutal suppression of protests that ultimately forced her from office in July 2024.
She was convicted of crimes against humanity for the deaths of around 1,400 people at the hands of police.
This trial took place in the absence of Hasina, who has been in exile in India since her ouster. She denied the accusations.
Siddiq, whose mother is the former prime minister’s sister, continues to face a number of outstanding charges in Bangladesh, including two ongoing trials relating to the allegations at the center of Monday’s verdict.
She is also under investigation over the alleged transfer of an apartment in a lucrative area of Dhaka to her sister.
Last week, Hasina was sentenced to 21 years in prison after being tried in her absence alongside two of her children over a land deal in the capital’s Purbachal district, a case that ran parallel to the case against Siddiq.
Siddiq and his family were also investigated over allegations of embezzlement surrounding a £3.9 billion deal in 2013 linked to a Russian-funded nuclear power plant deal.
Siddiq has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to the allegations, which stem from claims by Bobby Hajjaj, a political opponent of Hasina.
Bangladeshi authorities said they estimated around $234 billion (£174 billion) had been siphoned off through corruption during Hasina’s rule.
Before Siddiq’s resignation from the British government, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, said he had found no “evidence of irregularities” following an investigation.
However, he said it was “regrettable” that Siddiq had not been more attentive to the “potential risks to his reputation” linked to his links with Hasina.
While Siddiq continued to insist she was not guilty of any wrongdoing, she left her role as deputy minister so as not to be a “distraction” to the government.
The United Kingdom does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh. He is classified as Category 2B, meaning clear evidence must be presented to lawyers and judges to allow any extradition.
Siddiq was not forced by authorities to return to Dhaka for the trial, although authorities issued an arrest warrant.
