UK lawmaker Tulip Siddiq handed jail sentence in absentia in Bangladesh graft case
By Ruma Paul and Sam Tabahriti
DHAKA/LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) – A court in Bangladesh sentenced British MP and former minister Tulip Siddiq to two years in prison in absentia in a corruption case related to the alleged illegal allocation of a plot of land, prosecutors said.
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Siddiqui’s aunt, was sentenced to five years in prison in her absence, and her sister Rehana was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Siddiq, who resigned as Britain’s minister responsible for financial services and anti-corruption efforts in January following scrutiny of financial ties with Hasina, said in a statement that the trial process was “flawed and absurd”.
Hasina fled to neighboring India in August 2024 at the height of the uprising against her government. He was sentenced to death last month for his government’s violent crackdown on demonstrators during the protests.
Last week, Hasina was sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison for other corruption cases.
‘KANGAROO COURT’ SAYS SIDDIQ
The outcome of this kangaroo court “is as predictable as it is unfair,” Siddiq said. “I hope this so-called ‘decision’ is treated with the disrespect it deserves.”
A Labor Party spokesman said Siddiqui had not been given access to a fair legal process in the case and had not been informed of the details of the charges against him.
“Anyone facing any charge should always be afforded the right to make a legal representation when allegations are made against them. Given that this did not happen in this case, we cannot recognize this decision,” the spokesman said.
The UK does not have an extradition agreement with Bangladesh.
Hasina’s Awami League party said the decision was the latest example of what was a politically driven process carried out by “desperate, unelected men”; this refers to Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
LAND MARKED FOR NEW DISTRICT
In the latest case, prosecutors said about 13,610 square feet (1,264 square meters) of land in the capital Dhaka was unlawfully allocated through political influence and secret deals with senior officials.
They said the three powerful accused Siddiq, Hasina and Rehana misused their powers to secure the conspiracy during Hasina’s tenure as prime minister.
The court said all three were fined 100,000 taka ($820) and failure to pay would result in a further six months in prison.
The court heard that the land should be used for a new township to relieve housing and population pressure in Dhaka.
The other 14 people charged in the case were also sentenced to five years in prison.
($1 = 122.1000 taka)
(Reporting by Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Sam Tabahriti in London; Editing by YP Rajesh, Michael Perry and Ros Russell)
