Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for Tulip Siddiq, a UK member of parliament and former finance minister. The warrant is connected to a corruption case involving her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s former prime minister.
Tulip Siddiq has been accused of being involved with corruption related to Sheikh Hasina. In January, she stepped down as finance minister after questions arose about her ties to Hasina and her inclusion in Bangladesh’s investigation. Siddiq denied the corruption allegations, saying they were politically motivated.
Siddiq is one of more than 50 people with arrest warrants after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigated corruption linked to Sheikh Hasina. No evidence was given with the warrant for Siddiq, making extradition between the UK and Bangladesh unlikely.
The ACC’s inquiry was based on allegations from Bobby Hajjaj, a political rival of Hasina. He accused her and her family of embezzling £3.9 million meant for infrastructure projects.
Hajjaj also claimed Hasina brokered a deal with Russia in 2013 for a new nuclear power plant, inflating construction costs. The ACC suspects that Hasina and Siddiq may have benefited.
Siddiq is also under scrutiny for acquiring UK properties possibly linked to Hasina and her supporters. She lives in a London flat, given to her family by Moin Gani, Hasina’s government lawyer, in 2009. She received another London property in 2004 from a developer associated with Hasina’s Awami League party.
The warrant has sparked controversy, with some questioning the legitimacy of the allegations and the potential for political bias.
Source: BBC
