Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been handed a two-year prison sentence by a court in Bangladesh, in a case she denounces as a politically motivated attack linked to her familial relationship with the country's ousted former prime minister.
The Charges and Siddiq's Response
The verdict was delivered on Monday by a court in Dhaka. Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, was tried alongside 20 other individuals, including her aunt Sheikh Hasina, her mother, brother, and sister. The charges relate to allegations of corruption, specifically that she influenced Hasina to secure a plot of land in a Dhaka suburb for family members.
Siddiq has vehemently denied all allegations, stating she has never been formally informed of the charges or granted access to legal representation. She has labelled the prosecution "completely absurd" and a direct result of her connection to Sheikh Hasina.
She further contends that identity documents, including a Bangladeshi passport and ID card cited by the prosecution as proof she was served a summons, are forgeries. Siddiq acknowledges holding a Bangladeshi passport as a child but says it expired when she was around 18 and was never renewed.
Background: The Fall of Sheikh Hasina
The case against Siddiq is distinct from but connected to the dramatic fall of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina. Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh for 15 years in what many considered an authoritarian regime, was ousted from power last year.
Last month, a separate three-judge bench of Bangladesh's international crimes tribunal convicted Hasina of crimes against humanity. The charges stemmed from her government's crackdown on student-led protests. She was sentenced to death. Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder stated Hasina committed crimes by ordering the use of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons against civilians.
Hasina fled to India in a military helicopter in August last year, along with Siddiq's mother, Sheikh Rehana, and remains in exile.
Legal Concerns and UK Repercussions
A group of prominent UK lawyers, including former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland KC and ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve, have raised serious concerns about the trial's fairness. They argue Siddiq has been denied basic rights, including knowledge of the charges and proper legal representation.
The legal group, which also includes Cherie Blair KC, claims a lawyer Siddiq instructed was placed under house arrest and his daughter threatened.
This conviction follows Siddiq's resignation as a Treasury minister in January last year amid scrutiny of her financial ties to supporters of the Hasina regime. An investigation by the adviser on ministerial standards, Laurie Magnus, found she broke no rules but noted it was "regrettable that she was not more alert to the potential reputational risks."
Looking ahead, Siddiq would not face automatic extradition to Bangladesh as no formal treaty exists. However, Bangladeshi authorities could request her extradition from the UK Home Secretary. A conviction could severely restrict her travel, barring her from Bangladesh and potentially affecting visits to its allies, while also straining diplomatic relations between the UK and Bangladesh.
