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Tulip Siddiq, a Labour Member of Parliament and former minister, has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh. This ruling came after a trial conducted in her absence, alongside 16 other individuals, focused on allegations of corruption. Siddiq was found guilty of using influence over her aunt, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to acquire a plot of land for her family near Dhaka, a charge she vehemently denies.
Currently based in London, Siddiq rejects these accusations and is unlikely to serve the prison term. She remains embroiled in multiple legal issues in Bangladesh, with outstanding charges yet to be resolved. The trial, which started in August, is part of a broader prosecution effort launched after Hasina’s government was toppled. Prosecutors have targeted the former prime minister, her family, and associates in various expansive corruption cases.
During the legal proceedings, court documents accused Siddiq of leveraging her special power to secure the contentious land for her mother Rehana Siddiq, sister Azmina Siddiq, and brother Radwan Siddiq. The Bangladeshi Anti-Corruption Commission treated her as a citizen based on possession of Bangladeshi documents, a point that Siddiq’s lawyers contest, stating she has not had an ID card, voter ID, or passport since childhood. The sentencing, delivered by Judge Rabiul Alam, includes a fine of 100,000 Bangladeshi Taka, with an additional six months added to the jail term if the fine is unpaid.
Siddiq has consistently maintained her innocence, criticizing the allegations as false and politically motivated. Her lawyers and supporters argue the trial lacked fairness, citing reports from senior UK legal figures such as ex-Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and former Attorney General Dominic Grieve. They raised concerns about Siddiq’s inability to obtain proper legal representation, describing the trial as a contrived and unjust process. This verdict arrives shortly after Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in a separate case related to a violent crackdown on protests last year, allegations she denies. Siddiq’s legal troubles continue with ongoing investigations into other land and financial matters, all of which she denies, emphasizing that the corruption claims originated from political opponents. Despite the controversy, Siddiq resigned from her ministerial role in the UK to avoid becoming a distraction, and British authorities have indicated there is no extradition agreement with Bangladesh, limiting the likelihood of her being compelled to return for trial
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