A Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant for British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq in connection with a corruption investigation involving the alleged illegal acquisition of land in Dhaka.
The country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) confirmed the warrant was issued on Sunday after Siddiq failed to appear at a scheduled hearing. The case centres around claims that she unlawfully received a 7,200 square foot plot in the capital.
According to the Financial Times, Siddiq is among several individuals named in the case, including her mother, Sheikh Rehana, and her aunt, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The allegations are said to be separate from an ongoing probe into a nuclear power deal involving Hasina’s former government, in which Siddiq has also been named.
Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Highgate and a former Treasury minister, resigned from her ministerial post earlier this year amid scrutiny over her family ties to Bangladesh’s former ruling party, which was ousted following widespread protests.
There is currently no formal extradition agreement between the UK and Bangladesh.
In a statement issued through her legal team, Siddiq denied any wrongdoing and said she had not been informed of any arrest warrant or hearing.
“The allegations are entirely false and politically motivated,” her lawyers said. “Ms Siddiq has never owned land in Bangladesh, nor has she influenced any allocation of land to family members or others.”
They added that the ACC had not contacted Siddiq or her legal representatives directly regarding the case and had failed to provide any evidence to substantiate the claims.
The MP stepped down from her cabinet role in January, stating she did not want to be a “distraction” to the government’s work. The decision followed media reports linking her to London properties associated with allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who is currently living in exile in India.
Though a government ethics investigation concluded she had not breached the ministerial code, Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister’s adviser on ministerial standards, expressed concern over the “reputational risks” stemming from her close familial connections in Bangladesh.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said Siddiq should resign as an MP if she is indeed the subject of an arrest warrant.
The ACC has yet to comment publicly on the case.
Source: The Independent
BDST: 0841 HRS, APR 14, 2025
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