Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has made a scathing rebuke of what she called a “complete kangaroo court” and a “flawed and farcical” process, expressing utter disbelief Monday after a Bangladesh court sentenced her to two years in prison in absentia on corruption charges tied to her family’s alleged abuse of power under her aunt, five-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The verdict, delivered by a Dhaka court amid a broader crackdown on Sheikh Hasina’s inner circle, accuses Siddiq of leveraging her influence as a UK opposition MP to pressure Sheikh Hasina into allocating a plot in Dhaka’s Purbachal to her mother, Sheikh Rehana—the exiled prime minister’s sister.
Prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) claimed the 13,610-square-foot parcel, part of a government housing project, was secured through “collusion and undue influence,” estimating the illicit gain at millions of taka. Hasina herself was sentenced to five years in the same case, while Rehana received seven years as the “prime participant.” Fourteen other family members and officials face ongoing probes.
Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Highgate who resigned as Economic Secretary to the Treasury in January amid related scrutiny, learned of her conviction through media reports—not official channels. “I’m absolutely baffled by the whole thing,” she told Sky News in London.
“I’ve had no contact whatsoever from the Bangladeshi authorities despite them spreading malicious allegations against me for a year and a half now. No summons, no charge sheet, no correspondence. I’m a parliamentarian—all they had to do was send papers to the House of Commons, and I would have responded.”
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Describing the ordeal as a “Kafkaesque nightmare” and “trial by media,” Siddiq recounted her futile efforts to engage: UK lawyers’ letters ignored, a Bangladeshi attorney intimidated into withdrawal, and a personal plea for coffee with interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus—who has publicly branded her guilty—rebuffed during his London visit. “I’ve tried to be responsible,” she said. “But they threatened my lawyer, put him under house arrest, and even targeted his daughter. This is deeply unfair.”
Dismissing the core allegation as absurd, Siddiq, 43, questioned how she could have “influenced” a prime minister twice her age and exponentially more powerful. “My aunt has been in politics longer than I’ve been alive,” she said. “Where’s the evidence? It just feels like shambolic, a complete farce—collateral damage in their vendetta against my family.” She vowed not to travel to Bangladesh to “clear her name,” citing safety concerns, but hinted at exploring a defamation claim against the Dhaka authorities.
“My focus remains my constituents. I refuse to be distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh.”
Prominent UK legal figures echoed her outrage. Former Conservative Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve, ex-Attorney General Suella Braverman (noted in related commentary), Robert Buckland, and David Gauke – none Labour allies – condemned the trial as “contrived,” “unfair,” and lacking due process. In a letter to Bangladesh’s ambassador, they highlighted Siddiq’s denied legal representation and the “artificial” prosecution.
The Labour Party swiftly distanced itself, with a spokesperson stating: “We cannot recognise this judgment. Tulip has not had access to a fair legal process or been informed of the charges. The rule of law demands better.” An earlier UK ethics probe cleared Siddiq of impropriety in her Hasina ties, though it noted “regrettable” reputational risks. Britain, lacking an extradition treaty with Bangladesh, is unlikely to enforce the sentence.
The ruling compounds a grim legal saga for Sheikh Hasina’s clan. The former leader has faced a death sentence since November for “crimes against humanity” in the crackdown, plus multiple corruption terms totalling over 20 years. Prosecutors allege $234 billion was siphoned during her 15-year rule, though Awami League officials decry the probes as politically motivated.
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In a fiery statement issued earlier today – hours after the verdict – the Awami League, now banned, branded the proceedings “entirely predictable” and a “political mechanism used for political ends by desperate, unelected men,” directly slamming Yunus’ interim regime. “The allegations against Sheikh Hasina, her sister, and family members like Tulip Siddiq are firmly denied,” the party said.
“This process fails any test of judicial fairness, as local and international experts have forcefully stated. It’s the latest sham in a series of kangaroo courts designed to smear a democratically elected leader and her kin, shielding the real looters—the BNP-Jamaat clique and their jihadist backers—who destabilised our nation.”
The League drew parallels to today’s separate “farcical” Yunus-commission report on the 2009 BDR mutiny, which it accused of whitewashing BNP-Jamaat perpetrators while falsely implicating Hasina. “These trials aren’t justice; they’re vengeance,” the statement added. “Yunus should be ashamed, presiding over miscarriages that drag Britain into Bangladesh’s vendettas. We urge patriots worldwide to reject this farce and unite against unelected tyrants eroding our sovereignty.”
Yunus’ office has not commented on Siddiq’s case, but prosecutors vowed to pursue extradition via diplomatic channels. With Bangladesh’s economy reeling – inflation at 10%, growth stalled at 4% – critics say the trials distract from reforms, fueling minority attacks and India tensions. For Siddiq, the “Nobel fraud’s” shadow looms large, as she soldiered on in Parliament, defiant: “Professor Yunus is relentlessly pursuing a personal vendetta. He should be ashamed of himself.”
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