Labor MP and former minter Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh after she was tried along with 16 other people on corruption allegations.
He was found guilty of influencing his aunt, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure a capital scheme in the capital Dhaka, a claim he strongly denies.
Siddiq, who is based in London and denied the charges, will inevitably serve the sentence.
The sitting MP for Hampstead and Highgate continues to face several high-profile charges in Bangladesh.
Since Hasina’s regime was ousted, prosecutors in Bangladesh have launched several separate charges against the former leader, her former associates and family members.
The trial involving Siddiq – who stepped down as Treasury Minister in January amid controversy in his relationship with his aunt – has been playing in Dhaka since August.
The court documents include claims that Siddiq “forced SiddiQ” and influenced his aunt Sheikh Hasina for her special power to go to her special power to secure (a land Azmina Siddiq and Brother Radwan Siddiq “.
A prosecution for the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh
Siddiq’s lawyers have argued that he is a Bangladeshi citizen, saying at the time that he “doesn’t have” an ID card or voter ID, and “hasn’t raised a child”.
Judge Rabiul Alam sentenced him to two years in prison and a 100,000 bangladeshi tak of $821; £620). If he fails to pay, six months will be added to the sentence.
At the start of the trial, the MP said that the prosecutors had “suppressed errors and outrageous allegations that were briefed by the media but not formally put to me by the investigators”.
A statement for him continued: “I have been impressed from the beginning that I have done nothing wrong and will respond to any credible evidence presented on my behalf to find political and damaging points.”
He did not comment publicly as the verdict was handed down.
Last week, a team of senior lawyers briefed Bangladesh’s representatives in the UK on how to proceed with the settlement.
The signatures of that statement include Ex-Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, former lawyer Cherie Blair, a human lawyer Blair, a human lawyer Blair, a human lawyer Blair, a human lawyer Blair, a human lawyer Blair, a human lawyer Sir Sony Blair.
In a letter first reported on lymphaticthey said Siddiq did not endure proper legal representation at trial, adding: “Such a process is an artificial and unfair way of seeking a prosecution.”
Judgment is coming Two weeks after Hasina was sentenced to death in a separate trial In his role in a brutal crackdown on the protests that finally forced him from office in July 2024.
He was found guilty of crimes against humanity for the deaths of an estimated 1,400 people at the hands of the police.
That trial was held in Hasina’s absence, as she has been in exile in India since being ousted. He denied the charges.
Siddiq, whose mother is the former Prime Minister’s sister, continues to face several high-profile cases in Bangladesh, including two ongoing trials related to the allegations at the center of Monday’s verdict.
He is also being investigated for allegedly transferring a flat located in an advantageous area of Dhaka to his sister.
Last week, Hasina was given a 21-year jail term after settling her disappearance along with her children in a plot of land in the case against Siddiq.
Siddiq and his family are also being investigated in connection with allegations of embezzlement around a £3.9bn deal in 2013 linked to a Russian nuclear power plant.
Siddiq has always denied wrongdoing in the allegations, which stem from claims made by Bobby Hajjaj, a political opponent of Hasina.
Bangladeshi authorities say they estimate that around $234bn (£174bn) was given through corruption during Hasina’s reign.
Before Siddiq’s resignation from the British Government, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Independent Sir Laurie Magnus said he had found no “evidence in the investigation.
However, he said it was “regrettable” that Siddiq had not been alerted to the “potential reputational damage” of his relationship with Hasina.
While Siddiq continues to insist that he is not guilty of any wrongdoing, he has given up his junior ministerial role so as not to be a “distraction” for the government.
The UK does not have an extradition treaty in place with Bangladesh. It is classified as a 2b country, meaning clear evidence must be presented to lawyers and judges to approve any extradition.
Siddiq was not forced by the authorities to return to Dhaka for court despite the authorities there issuing an arrest warrant.