Bangladesh sentences ex-UK minister Siddiq over corruption

Tulip Siddiq, ousted PM Hasina’s niece, was convicted in a case involving the illegal allocation of a plot of land. Hasina and her sister were also found guilty in absentia.

A court in Bangladesh convicted in absentia on Monday British lawmaker and former minister Tulip Siddiq in a corruption case alongside her aunt, the country’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The case involves the alleged illegal allocation of a plot of land in the capital Dakka, which was supposed to be used toward a new township to ease housing pressure. A judge said Hasina misused her power as prime minister while Siddiq influenced her aunt to help her mother and two siblings get the land instead.

Siddiq was sentenced to two years in absentia. Hasina, who has been in India since she fled the uprising in Bangladesh in August last year, was given five years in jail, while her sister Rehana was sentenced to seven years, also in absentia.

Hasina was already sentenced to death last month over the crackdown on the uprising which eventually led to her ousting. Up to 1,400 people were killed in the crackdown, according to United Nations figures.

How have Siddiq and her Labour Party reacted to the court ruling?

Siddiq, who resigned from her role as Britain’s minister for financial services and anti corruption efforts in January, after scrutiny over her financial ties to her deposed aunt, condemned the Monday verdict, describing the trial process as “flawed and farcical.”

“The outcome of this kangaroo court is as predictable as it is unjustified,” she said in a statement. “My focus has always been my constituents in Hampstead and Highgate and I refuse to be distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh.”

A spokesperson for Siddiq’s Labour Party said she did not get access to a fair legal process and was not informed of the details of the charges against her.

“Anyone facing any charge should always be afforded the right to make legal representations when allegations are made against them. Given that has not happened in this case, we cannot recognize this judgment,” the spokesperson said.

Prosecutors said Bangladesh’s interim government would formally notify British authorities regarding the verdict. Britain does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/bangladesh-sentences-ex-uk-minister-siddiq-over-corruption/a-74972924