Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been handed a two-year prison sentence by a Bangladeshi court after being convicted in absentia of involvement in a corruption

scheme linked to her aunt, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Special Judge’s Court in Dhaka ruled that Siddiq influenced Hasina to secure a government land plot for her mother, Sheikh Rehana, as part of a township development project. Judge Rabiul Alam said the former premier had “misused her authority,” and found Siddiq guilty of “corruptly influencing” the process. Rehana received a seven-year jail term and was described by the court as the principal beneficiary.

All three women are currently outside Bangladesh and were tried in absentia.

Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Highgate, has repeatedly rejected the accusations as politically motivated, calling the proceedings “fabricated” and a “clear political vendetta.” Her lawyers also dismissed the charges as baseless.

The verdict adds to a series of legal actions against Hasina, who was ousted in August last year following mass protests. Two weeks ago, she was sentenced to death in a separate case relating to a deadly crackdown during the final months of her 15-year rule. She fled to India before her arrest. In another ruling last week, a Dhaka court jailed Hasina for 21 years over additional charges linked to the same township project. Her son and daughter were each sentenced to five years.

Siddiq stepped down as a Treasury minister in January after pressure over her ties to Hasina’s former government. A review by the prime minister’s ethics adviser found she had not breached the Ministerial Code, but recommended her responsibilities be reconsidered. Siddiq said at the time that she had become “a distraction” to the government.

The UK does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh.

Members of Hasina’s family, including Siddiq’s siblings, also remain abroad as they face separate charges brought after last year’s unrest. Photo by Chris McAndrew, Wikimedia commons.