A Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant for British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq over corruption allegations, Politico reported.
The move marks a dramatic turn in Bangladesh’s sweeping anti-graft campaign following former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina‘s resignation in August 2024 after two decades in power.
The Bangladeshi Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating whether Siddiq illegally acquired prime real estate in Dhaka during her aunt’s rule. Siddiq, who resigned as UK Treasury minister in January amid the probe, has dismissed the charges as “completely false” and “politically motivated.”
A UK Cabinet Office ethics committee previously cleared her of wrongdoing in a parallel inquiry into the nuclear deal, with Prime Minister’s standards adviser Laurie Magnus stating there was “no evidence of improprieties.”
The Dhaka court’s warrants target 50 individuals, including Hasina, Siddiq’s mother Rehana, and other relatives, a clear signal of Bangladesh’s new government pursuing accountability for alleged abuses during Hasina’s tenure.
The ACC’s land probe focuses on preferential allocations to political elites, while the nuclear allegations echo long-standing concerns about opaque deals under Hasina’s administration.
With Hasina’s opposition celebrating the warrants as justice delayed, critics warn the probes risk becoming a tool for settling scores. Siddiq’s allies point to her vocal criticism of Bangladesh’s democratic backsliding under Hasina, suggesting the charges aim to silence dissent.
