It didn’t take long for the topic to surface. Just a few minutes into his interview with ITV News, Professor Mohammad Yunus was asked directly: should Tulip Siddiq return to Bangladesh and face legal action?
His answer was short. “If there are charges, she should appear in court.”
No hesitation. No extra context.
Yunus, now acting as Bangladesh’s chief adviser, didn’t shy away when the question came up. But he didn’t offer much more either. Legal matters, he said, belong in court — not in political conversations or private meetings.
And that part matters. Turns out, it was Siddiq—a sitting Labour MP in the UK and also the niece of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—who had actually reached out, requesting a meeting with him. Before his trip.
She sent a letter, hoping for a conversation that might clear what she called “confusion” created by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission. That meeting never happened.
Siddiq Denies All Charges, Blames Politics
The charges themselves are still murky. According to Bangladesh’s ACC, Tulip Siddiq allegedly took land illegally from Sheikh Hasina following the former premier’s loss of power.
Siddiq flatly denies it.
She says the whole thing is politically motivated. In her words, a targeted attack by Bangladeshi authorities with no basis in fact.
She had hoped a meeting with Yunus might help cut through it. Clarify a few things. Instead, she says, his silence has made things worse.
In a written statement, she expressed “disappointment” that he refused to talk.
“By not meeting,” she said, “he has allowed misinformation to spread. And that’s now being used for political reasons.”
Yunus Maintains Distance from the Case
Yunus, for his part, wasn’t moved. In the ITV interview, he made it clear: this is a legal matter. And he wants no part in mediating it politically.
“I haven’t spoken to her,” he said. “This is for the courts. I have nothing to do with it.”
His position was blunt. Whatever the claim, he believes it should play out inside a courtroom. Not behind closed doors.
Also Read: Prof Yunus Heads Home After UK Trip, Receives King Charles III Harmony Award
A Complicated Family Connection
There’s another layer here that’s hard to ignore.
Tulip Siddiq isn’t just a politician. She’s also Sheikh Hasina’s niece. And Hasina has a long, uneasy history with Yunus.
In the same interview, Yunus said they never got along. Not once.
“She’s gone after me every time she had the chance,” he said.
According to him, more than 200 cases were filed against him during her time in power. He called them false. Fabricated.
“I don’t take any of those seriously,” he added.
A Growing Divide Between Dhaka and London?
This isn’t just a family dispute, though.
Siddiq is a high-profile MP in the UK. She once held a treasury position. She’s part of a major political party. Her name being tied up in corruption claims by a foreign government — especially one led by her own family — creates a situation that’s not just awkward. It’s politically sensitive.
Whether or not the claims hold any legal weight is still unclear. But Yunus refusing to engage, and Siddiq calling it a missed chance, shows just how far apart both sides really are.
No date has been set for any legal proceeding. Siddiq remains in the UK. And for now, at least, it doesn’t look like any meeting is going to happen.
Both say they’re acting on principle.
But neither one seems ready to take the next step.
