The UK Labour minister faces allegations alongside her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the recently deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq has been named in a Bangladeshi anti-corruption investigation, which also implicates members of her family.
The investigation centers on claims of embezzlement linked to a 2013 agreement between Bangladesh and Russia for the construction of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. Allegations suggest significant sums of money were misappropriated during the deal.
Ms. Siddiq’s aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who served as Bangladesh’s prime minister for over two decades, is facing a broader anti-corruption inquiry conducted by the country’s anti-corruption commission.
As the Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury, Ms. Siddiq holds responsibilities that include addressing financial misconduct and corruption in Britain’s markets.
The Labour Party has declined to comment on the matter, while sources close to Ms. Siddiq have dismissed the allegations as “spurious.”
The accusations reportedly stem from Bobby Hajjaj, a political rival of Sheikh Hasina. Court documents obtained by the BBC allege that Ms. Siddiq facilitated meetings integral to the agreement between the Bangladeshi and Russian governments. It is further claimed that Sheikh Hasina and members of her family diverted funds from the deal for personal gain.
Footage from 2013 shows Ms. Siddiq present at the Kremlin during the signing of the agreement between Sheikh Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Elected as the MP for Hampstead and Highgate in 2015, Ms. Siddiq now finds herself at the center of a controversy that could have significant implications for her political career and her family’s legacy in Bangladesh. Photo by Chris McAndrew, Wikimedia commons.