British MP Tulip Siddiq says the corruption case against her is part of “dirty politics” in Bangladesh that has upended her life.
In an interview with The Guardian, the Labour politician described the graft charges as “completely absurd” and linked them to a wider dispute between Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and her aunt, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
“The truth is that I’m collateral damage, because of this feud,” Siddiq said. “People have done wrong things in Bangladesh, and they should be punished. It’s just I’m not one of them.”
Dhaka prosecutors have charged Siddiq with leveraging her political connections to secure plots in Purbachal for her mother, brother, and sister. The trial against her and over twenty co-defendants is scheduled to commence on August 11.
Siddiq says she has yet to receive an official summons. “I’m supposedly days away from a showcase trial in a foreign country, and I still don’t know what the charges are against me,” she told the paper. “I feel a bit like I am trapped in this Kafkaesque nightmare.”
She is being advised by British barrister Hugo Keith KC on her next steps. There is no extradition treaty between the UK and Bangladesh, something she says she confirmed herself. Bangladeshi authorities have said she could be tried in absentia, and extradition might be pursued if she is convicted.
Siddiq, who represented Hampstead and Highgate and served as a treasury minister until January, said she learned of the indictment from a journalist who contacted her lawyer just over a week ago.
The case has also drawn in other accusations. Some media outlets have alleged she was involved in embezzling $5 billion from a nuclear power deal with Russia, citing a 2013 photo of her with Hasina and Vladimir Putin. She insists the meeting was brief and purely social.
“My aunt went on a state visit to Russia, and my sister and I decided to go see her,” Siddiq said. “We were sightseeing, going to restaurants, shopping. Then there was a tea reception for families of officials. I met Putin for two minutes.”
She also rejected claims that she was gifted a London flat, saying it belongs to her “godfather” and that earlier comments to the press about her parents buying it were due to their failing memory.
After being warned of a threat to her safety, she moved into another property and paid market rent. She says she resigned her ministerial role to prevent the allegations from distracting the government, even though Labour leader Keir Starmer continued to back her.
“I’m not here to defend my aunt,” Siddiq said. “I hope the people of Bangladesh get the closure they want about how her term in government ended.”
