Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate, has strongly denied any wrongdoing after Bangladeshi authorities issued an arrest warrant in connection with corruption allegations. The allegations relate to claims that Ms. Siddiq illegally received a 7,200 square foot plot of land in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Bangladesh reportedly sought the arrest warrant on Sunday. However, Ms. Siddiq’s legal team has dismissed the accusations as “politically motivated” and maintains that the MP has no knowledge of any such warrant.
In a statement, Siddiq’s lawyers stated that she had not been informed of any arrest warrant being issued and reiterated that the claims against her were baseless. “The ACC has made various allegations against Ms. Siddiq through the media in the last few months,” the statement read. “These allegations are completely false and have been dealt with in writing by Ms. Siddiq’s lawyers.”
The lawyers also emphasized that the ACC had not directly communicated any charges to Ms. Siddiq or her legal team. According to her representatives, there is no evidence to support the accusations, and they denied any involvement by the MP in securing land in Dhaka through improper means. “She has never had a plot of land in Bangladesh,” the statement continued, “and she has never influenced any allocation of plots of land to her family members or anyone else.”
This latest development is tied to broader allegations involving Siddiq’s family, notably her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, who was overthrown last year and is now in exile in India. Ms. Siddiq has also been named in an investigation into a nuclear power plant deal associated with her aunt.
Earlier this year, Siddiq resigned from her post as a Treasury minister following an investigation into her ties to her aunt’s regime. Reports revealed that she had lived in properties in London linked to associates of Sheikh Hasina. Although an inquiry concluded that Siddiq had not breached the Ministerial Code, Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, was advised to reconsider her role due to concerns over the potential reputational damage to the Government.
Despite the resignation, Siddiq’s lawyers have maintained that the allegations against her are unfounded, arguing that there is no legal basis for any charges to be brought forward.
The Conservative Party has called for Siddiq to step down as a Labour MP, urging her to resign immediately if the arrest warrant is valid.
The ACC has yet to respond to requests for comment.
