An arrest warrant has been issued for a former Labour minister in Bangladesh, it has been reported.
Anti-corruption authorities accuse Tulip Siddiq, whose aunt Sheikh Hasina is a former Bangladeshi Prime Minister, of “abuse of power and influence”. The former City minister has strongly denied the “completely false” allegations, which she branded “politically motivated”..
The country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) says it believes Ms Siddiq received a plot of land in capital Dhaka from her aunt’s government. She quit the Government in January amid questions over reports she lived in properties in London linked to Ms Hasina.
Following reports about the warrant being issued, representatives for Ms Siddiq said in a statement: “The ACC has made various allegations against Ms Siddiq through the media in the last few months. The allegations are completely false and have been dealt with in writing by Ms Siddiq’s lawyers.
“The ACC has not responded to Ms Siddiq or put any allegations to her directly or through her lawyers. Ms Siddiq knows nothing about a hearing in Dhaka relating to her and she has no knowledge of any arrest warrant that is said to have been issued.
“To be clear, there is no basis at all for any charges to be made against her, and there is absolutely no truth in any allegation that she received a plot of land in Dhaka through illegal means. She has never had a plot of land in Bangladesh, and she has never influenced any allocation of plots of land to her family members or anyone else. No evidence has been provided by the ACC to support this or any other allegation made against Ms Siddiq, and it is clear to us that the charges are politically motivated.
Ms Siddiq has previously maintained Bangladeshi leaders are carrying out a “targeted and baseless” campaign against her. She also accused the ACC of an “unacceptable attempt to interfere with UK politics”.
It is understood the ACC believes Ms Siddiq illegally received a 7,200sq ft plot in the Purbachal New Town Project, The Telegraph reports. Last month the anti-corruption body called for a travel ban to be slapped on Ms Siddiq, her aunt and other family members.
Authorities in Bangladesh allege that Ms Hasina – who was ousted from power last year – and her family embezzled billions of dollars from a nuclear power deal with Russia. Ms Siddiq was named in court documents in Bangladesh – submitted by a political rival of the former PM – claiming she allegedly helped her aunt broker the deal.
In her resignation letter on January 14 Ms Siddiq wrote: “As you know, having conducted an in-depth review of the matter at my request, Sir Laurie has confirmed that I have not breached the Ministerial Code. As he notes, there is no evidence to suggest that I have acted improperly in relation to the properties I have owned or lived in, nor to suggest that any of my assets derive from anything other than legitimate means.
“My family connections are a matter of public record, and when I became a Minister I provided the full details of my relationships and private interests to the Government. After extensive consultation with officials, I was advised to state in my declaration of interests that my aunt is the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and to recuse myself from matters relating to Bangladesh to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest.
“I want to assure you that I acted and have continued to act with full transparency and on the advice of officials on these matters.”
In a letter released by No10, Mr Starmer responded to the quitting minister: “I want to thank you for self-referring to the Independent Adviser and for your full co-operation with the establishment of facts.
“I appreciate that to end ongoing distraction from delivering our agenda to change Britain, you have made a difficult decision and want to be clear that the door remains open for you going forward.”
Although the Government’s ethics advisor Sir Laurie Magnus concluded that she had not breached the Ministerial Code, he advised the PM to reconsider Ms Siddiq’s responsibilities.
He said: “Given the nature of Ms Siddiq’s ministerial responsibilities, which include the promotion of the UK financial services sector and the inherent probity of its regulatory framework as a core component of the UK economy and its growth, it is regrettable that she was not more alert to the potential reputational risks – both to her and the Government – arising from her close family’s association with Bangladesh.”
The Mirror has contacted Ms Siddiq and the ACC for comment.
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