"stop manufacturing false and vexatious allegations"
Tulip Siddiq has accused Bangladeshi authorities of mounting a “targeted and baseless” campaign against her.
In a letter to Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), her lawyers state allegations of corruption are “false and vexatious” and have not been formally put to her, despite being briefed to the media.
Siddiq resigned as economic secretary to the Treasury in January 2025. She maintained she had done nothing wrong but did not want to be a “distraction” to the government.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accepted her resignation and stated the “door remains open” for her return.
Tulip Siddiq referred herself to ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus when the allegations emerged.
He found “no evidence of improprieties” but said she should have been more aware of “potential reputational risks” due to ties with her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the former Bangladeshi prime minister.
The ACC is investigating claims that Hasina and her family embezzled up to £3.9 billion from infrastructure spending. The allegations originate from Bobby Hajjaj, a political opponent of Hasina.
Court documents state that Hajjaj accused Siddiq of brokering a deal with Russia in 2013, inflating the cost of a nuclear power plant.
Her lawyers deny her involvement, despite her presence at a signing ceremony in the Kremlin alongside Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Her lawyers wrote: “It is not uncommon for family members to be invited to accompany Heads of State on state visits.”
They insist she had no knowledge of financial irregularities.
They also reject claims that a £700,000 London flat gifted to her in 2004 was linked to embezzlement, noting the gift predated the nuclear deal by a decade.
Sir Laurie Magnus’ report found she was initially unaware of the origins of her flat’s ownership but had to correct the record when she became a minister.
He described this as an “unfortunate misunderstanding” that inadvertently misled the public.
Her lawyers confirm the flat was given to her by Abdul Motalif, “an Imam and a very close family friend, akin to Ms Siddiq’s godfather”.
The letter also rebuts ACC allegations about her involvement in land appropriation in Dhaka.
It describes ACC media briefings as an “unacceptable attempt to interfere with UK politics”.
The letter states: “At no point have any allegations been put to her fairly, properly and transparently, or indeed at all, by the ACC or anyone else with proper authority on behalf of the Bangladeshi government.
“We require that you immediately stop manufacturing false and vexatious allegations against Ms Siddiq and further media briefings and public comments designed to harm her reputation.”
The lawyers demand that the ACC present questions to Siddiq by 25 March 2025, or they will assume there are “no legitimate questions to answer”.
In response, the ACC claimed she had “spent most of her adult life residing in homes owned by cronies of the notoriously venal Awami League”, suggesting she had benefitted from the party’s corruption.
An ACC spokesman said her claims of being unaware of the Hasina regime’s nature “strained credulity” and that they would be in touch “in due course”.
ACC chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen said:
“All allegations raised against Ms Siddiq will be proven in any court, including the ones in the United Kingdom.”
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