British MP Tulip Siddiq Receives Two-Year Sentence In Bangladesh Following Trial Conducted Without Her Presence

Tulip Siddiq, a Labour MP in Bangladesh, was sentenced to two years in prison following an absentee corruption trial that she claims was politically motivated.

After being prosecuted in absentia on corruption accusations that she vehemently rejects, former UK minister and Labour MP Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh. Hampstead and Highgate representative Siddiq was found guilty along with 16 other people of allegedly persuading her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, to obtain a piece of land for family members on the outskirts of Dhaka.

The sentence is not expected to be served by Siddiq, who resides in London. Her attorneys maintain that she is not a citizen of Bangladesh, refuting allegations that officials obtained a passport and tax information in her name. The UK and Bangladesh do not have an extradition treaty.

Since Hasina’s government was overthrown in July 2024, prosecutors have opened a number of cases. Under Bangladesh’s interim administration, which Hasina claims is politically motivated, trials against the former prime minister, her friends, and her relatives have progressed.

In January, Siddiq resigned as a Treasury minister due to concerns about her family relationships, but she insisted she had “done nothing wrong” and called the accusations baseless and offensive.

According to court documents, Siddiq was charged with abusing his “special power” to persuade Hasina to buy land for her mother, sister, and brother. She was sentenced by Judge Rabiul Alam to two years in prison and a fine of 100,000 Bangladeshi taka (£620), which would be increased by six months if it was not paid.

Although Siddiq has not responded since the decision, she has previously chastised the prosecution for informing the public on accusations without properly presenting her legal team with the facts.

The decision was made only two weeks after Hasina was found guilty in a separate trial that was conducted without her present and given a death sentence. In the months preceding her removal, she was found guilty of crimes against humanity related to a brutal suppression of protesters. Hasina, who is currently in exile in India, refutes the charges.

The Awami League, which describes the most recent decision against Siddiq as “entirely predictable” and devoid of judicial justice, dismisses estimates from Bangladeshi authorities that $234 billion was allegedly embezzled during Hasina’s leadership as politically motivated.

The trial process has drawn criticism from prominent British legal professionals, such as former justice minister Robert Buckland, former attorney general Dominic Grieve, and human rights advocate Cherie Blair. They cautioned that Siddiq had failed to obtain adequate legal counsel, calling the procedure “contrived and unfair,” in a letter to Bangladesh’s UK embassy.

Siddiq still faces other charges in Bangladesh, such as two pending trials and an inquiry into the transfer of an upscale flat in Dhaka.

Sir Laurie Magnus, the UK ethics adviser before Siddiq resigned, said she should have been more conscious of the reputational dangers associated with her family’s political past, but he could not find any indication of improper behaviour on her part.

British courts would need unambiguous, reliable proof before granting any extradition request, therefore Siddiq was not forced to return to Bangladesh for trial even though an arrest order had been issued in Dhaka.