Guido sat down with Bobby Hajjaj, the Bangladeshi politician responsible for filing the original claim against Tulip Siddiq to the Anti-Corruption Commission in Dhakka, for an exclusive interview about the Siddiq scandal. The Bangladeshi opposition figure does not hold back…
Hajjaj, who is a longtime political opponent of the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina and her family, claimed:
Hasina and her family ran a dictatorial regime that committed terrible crimes – political assassinations, vote rigging and massive levels of corruption.
He accuses Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana (Tulip’s mother), saying she was “intricately involved with all of these activities.” Rehana denies those claims…
The Russian nuclear plant case was one of the few in which there were “links with Tulip Siddiq herself“, a claim also made in the UK media, which Siddiq denies.
Opposition politicians in Dhaka have “long had suspicions that Siddiq has been working as the front person of the Hasina regime in the UK.“
The ACC investigation probably “won’t take very long” because it “won’t take very long to unearth all the evidence” or significant evidence.
He claims Tulip holds dual citizenship and “even though Bangladesh and the UK don’t have an official extradition treaty I believe but there are certain terms and understandings on those terms. So from our end we will certainly push for the ACC and law enforcement here to ask for Tulip to come and face law enforcement, or face the courts.“
He speculates that Siddiq and her family may argue they will not get justice – “that’s not true because the due process of Bangladesh was derailed while Tulip Siddiq’s aunt and mother were in power.”
There are fears that a “UK government that was heavily supported by confidants of the dictatorial regime… might not be particularly helpful” in repatriating allegedly stolen assets.
Senior members of the Labour government have been seen “hobnobbing with the dictator Hasina, Rehana, and with their confidant Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury.” As first reported here…
The UK needs “thorough investigations” into these relationships as well as into the siphoning of “hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars and pounds into the UK over the last 15 years.“
“The Labour government itself has been hugely supported by Hasina’s dictatorial government money.”
“Labour and the Awami League party have been almost like sister parties and knowing very well the human rights abuses.”
Seeing Tulip and her family “enjoying such successes based on what they’ve looted from us is a matter of grief for the people of Bangladesh, it deeply saddens us.”
The Bangladeshis are “working on our end to find as much truth as we can but whatever has happened to the money… the truth can only be unearthed by investigating in the UK not over here hence we look at the UK for support.”
Tulip herself denies any wrongdoing and there is no evidence or suggestion that she or the Labour Party had any involvement in illicit cash being moved from Bangladesh to the UK, or other allegations made by Hajjaj including that she paid her way into parliament and government. Her team has subsequently claimed she only has a UK bank account, but has not commented on her alleged possession of dual nationality. A court order issued against Siddiq in Bangladesh bears a Bangladeshi National ID Card number for her, suggesting she is a Bangladeshi dual national. Either way, the Bangladeshis are clearly not dropping the matter…
When asked about claims about her involvement in a Russia-backed nuclear plant, a spokesman for Ms Siddiq previously told the Daily Mail: ‘No evidence has been presented for these allegations. Tulip has not been contacted by anyone on the matter and totally refutes the claims.’ Moreover, Labour claims the reason Siddiq left government was solely due to the findings of the Independent Adviser, published in his letter. Guido reliably hears that at the most senior levels of the Bangladeshi government the UK’s full co-operation is expected when it comes to the retrieval of funds and assets allegedly embezzled. The NCA will not comment on any ongoing investigations. UK Government teams are known to be in the capital working with the new government. This will be an awkward diplomatic situation to put it mildly…
Labour will be hoping that Siddiq’s departure from government will be the end of the matter. That’s hopeful, given that the new authorities in Bangladesh have only just started…
