Labour MP sentenced to two years in prison – but she won’t serve it | World | News
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to two years in prison by a court in Dhaka on Monday for her role in a corruption case linked to a government land project. The court found that Labor MP Siddiq improperly influenced his aunt, who deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to provide a plot of land for her mother, Sheikh Rehana, who was sentenced to seven years in prison as the central figure in the case.
The case focused on the Purbachal New City project, a government project in a Dhaka suburb. Siddiq, who represents Hampstead and Highgate in the UK Parliament, denied all the allegations. Hasina, meanwhile, was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia as she has been in exile in India since being ousted from power last year.
Despite his two-year prison sentence, it is extremely unlikely that Siddiqui will serve any length of time in Bangladesh. He was in London throughout the trial, which was held entirely in his absence.
He vehemently denies all the allegations, including that he dismissed his aunt and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to secure a plot of land for his family.
The trial was criticized by a group of senior British lawyers, including former justice secretary Robert Buckland and former attorney general Dominic Grieve; He argued that Siddiq was denied legal representation and that the trial was “artificial and contrived”.
Siddiq’s legal team also disputes his status as a Bangladeshi citizen, stating that he has not had a Bangladeshi passport since childhood and has never had a voter ID or official identity card.
Siddiq’s legal team also disputes his status as a Bangladeshi citizen, stating that he has not had a Bangladeshi passport since childhood and has never had a voter ID or official identity card. This situation weakens the enforceability of the sentence in practice.
Bangladesh does not have an extradition treaty with the United Kingdom and the country is classified as a “2B” jurisdiction; This means extradition will require indisputable evidence and formal legal proceedings.
Even if there is an arrest warrant in Bangladesh, the UK has no obligation to force Siddiqui to return. He also continues to face a number of ongoing cases and investigations in Bangladesh, but these are also unlikely to affect his ability to live and work in the UK.
His resignation from his ministerial post in January was framed as a hedge against reputational risk, not an admission of guilt, and an ethics review of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer found no evidence of wrongdoing.
As a result, although the decision carries symbolic weight, it cannot be implemented in practice.
Hasina was sentenced to death in November for crimes against humanity, including her crackdown on the mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule last year. He lives in exile in India and all his trials are being held in absentia.
He and others in the case decided Monday not to appoint any defense attorneys to represent them.
Rehana remains outside the country and Siddiq’s two siblings are also abroad as they face further charges related to last year’s riot.
In three separate cases involving the same district project, a separate court sentenced Hasina to 21 years in prison on November 27. In this case, Hasina’s son and daughter were also sentenced to five years in prison by the court.
