A Bangladeshi court has convicted British MP and former UK minister Tulip Siddiq in absentia on corruption charges connected to a land-allocation scheme that also led to the sentencing of her aunt, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The case centers on the alleged improper allocation of a plot in Dhaka intended for a new housing township. The court ruled that Hasina abused her authority as prime minister and that Siddiq influenced her aunt to secure the land for her mother and two siblings rather than for public use.
Siddiq received a two-year sentence in absentia. Hasina, who fled to India after last year’s uprising, was sentenced to five years, while her sister Rehana received seven, both also handed down in absentia.
Hasina had already been sentenced to death last month over the deadly crackdown that preceded her overthrow, during which UN figures estimate as many as 1,400 people were killed.
Siddiq, who resigned as Britain’s minister for financial services and anti-corruption in January amid scrutiny over her ties to Hasina, denounced the ruling as a “flawed and farcical” process. She described the outcome as predictable and politically motivated, insisting her focus remains on her constituents in Hampstead and Highgate.
A Labor Party spokesperson said Siddiq was not afforded due process and was never properly informed of the charges, adding that the party “cannot recognize this judgment.”
Bangladesh’s interim government is expected to notify UK authorities of the verdict, though Britain has no extradition treaty with Bangladesh.
Hasina, in comments to AFP, condemned the ruling and accused the Anti-Corruption Commission of pursuing politically driven cases. Her Awami League party echoed the criticism, portraying the judgments as part of a campaign led by “desperate, unelected men,” referring to the interim administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Bangladesh is scheduled to hold national elections in February.
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