Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Minister Tulip Siddiq named in Bangladesh corruption probe

Minister Tulip Siddiq named in Bangladesh corruption probe

Tulip Siddiq

Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament

MINISTER Tulip Siddiq has been named in an investigation by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over allegations her family embezzled approximately £3.9 billion from infrastructure projects in the country.

The probe focuses on claims she helped broker an overpriced nuclear power plant deal with Russia in 2013 during her aunt Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as prime minister, reported the BBC.


The allegations, described as "politically motivated" by a source close to Siddiq, come as Bangladesh's newly installed government investigates corruption under Hasina’s two-decade rule. The ACC is scrutinising several family members, including Siddiq’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, alongside senior officials from Hasina's administration.

Court documents allege that Siddiq, Labour MP and economic secretary to the Treasury, mediated meetings for Bangladeshi officials with Russian representatives during the Rooppur Power Plant Project negotiations.

The deal reportedly inflated the project's cost by £1bn, with 30 per cent of the funds allegedly funnelled to Siddiq and other family members through a web of offshore accounts. Video footage from the time shows Siddiq alongside Hasina and Russian president Vladimir Putin at the signing ceremony in Moscow.

Bobby Hajjaj, a political rival of Hasina, brought forward the allegations. He claims the misappropriated funds, amounting to £3.9bn, were siphoned off through multiple infrastructure projects under Hasina’s government.

Tory MP Matt Vickers criticised Siddiq’s continued ministerial role, stating, "Labour’s anti-corruption minister embroiled in such allegations is a stain on Keir Starmer’s judgement."

Despite this, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has expressed confidence in Siddiq, who has denied the allegations. However, she has temporarily recused herself from UK government decisions involving Bangladesh.

Hasina, ousted from power in August after 20 years, faces mounting accusations from the new Bangladeshi government, including "crimes against humanity" during her administration. Her regime was marked by crackdowns on dissent, extrajudicial killings, and alleged corruption. After fleeing to India, Hasina now faces arrest warrants alongside 45 former officials.

Anti-government protests earlier this year saw her residence stormed and over 300 deaths in clashes between protesters, government supporters, and police. The ACC’s investigation into her family’s finances comes amidst broader judicial and political reforms in Bangladesh.

The Telegraph earlier reported that Siddiq’s family retreat in Bangladesh was vandalised after Hasina left the country.

According to reports, the case has the potential to strain diplomatic ties between the UK and Bangladesh. Siddiq, who has served as the MP for Hampstead and Highgate since 2015, has not been contacted by Bangladeshi authorities or the Labour party regarding the allegations, which her supporters label as "spurious."

Corruption allegations against outgoing Bangladeshi governments are not uncommon. Hasina’s predecessor, Khaleda Zia, faced similar accusations, as did ex-president Hussain Muhammad Ershad. The Bangladeshi judiciary's independence has long been questioned, with ruling parties often accused of targeting political opponents.

More For You

Man convicted of murder in UK shifted to Surat jail

The UK government agreed to transfer the convict following an appeal filed by his parents

Photo for representation: iStock

Man convicted of murder in UK shifted to Surat jail

A MURDER convict sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment in the UK in 2020 has been brought to Gujarat to serve the remaining sentence under an India-UK agreement, officials said.

The UK government agreed to transfer the convict following an appeal filed by his parents that their son, a native of Gujarat's Valsad district, be allowed to serve the remaining sentence in the state, they said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian lawyer slams 'rubbish' court cases amid huge backlog

Manisha Knights

Asian lawyer slams 'rubbish' court cases amid huge backlog

A PROMINENT London criminal lawyer has criticised prosecutors for pursuing thousands of "rubbish" cases while the courts face massive delays, with some trials being scheduled eight years after the alleged crimes.

Manisha Knights, a criminal defence specialist and founder of MK Law, revealed about half of the 73,105 cases currently waiting to be heard in crown courts should not be prosecuted at all.

Keep ReadingShow less
Southport stabbings: Teenager  denies charges in court

Southport murder suspect Axel Rudakubana appears via video link at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, Britain, October 30, 2024, in this courtroom sketch.

Julia Quenzler/Handout via REUTERS.

Southport stabbings: Teenager  denies charges in court

A British teenager had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf to charges of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July, a crime that horrified the nation and was followed by days of nationwide rioting.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, on Wednesday (18) did not speak when asked at Liverpool Crown Court if he was guilty or not guilty of killing Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in the town of Southport.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gisele-Pelicot-Getty

This court-sketch made on December 19 shows Gisele Pelicot during the hearing of the verdict of the court that sentenced her ex-husband to the maximum term of 20 years jail. (Photo: Getty Images)

Dominique Pelicot sentenced to 20 years for organising mass rapes of ex-wife

A FRENCH court sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison on Thursday for orchestrating and committing the mass rapes of his former wife, Gisele Pelicot.

Pelicot, who had admitted to drugging his wife over nearly a decade to enable assaults by strangers he recruited online, was convicted by the criminal court in Avignon after a trial lasting more than three months.

Keep ReadingShow less