Tulip Siddiq has described the process which resulted in her conviction this morning as a “kangaroo court.” Speaking to Sky News, Siddiq contested that she had misused her “special influence” to coerce her aunt the deposed dictator Sheikh Hasina into giving valuable pieces of land to her mother, brother, and sister. Siddiq referred to the plots – in a special zone on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka – as “some random plot of land in a random place in Bangladesh.” She also said the charge does not make sense due to the fact that Hasina “is ten times more powerful than me” and interim PM Muhammad Yunus “should be ashamed of himself” for “pursuing a personal vendetta.” Siddiq has always denied the charges on these grounds…
Siddiq added “I certainly will not be considering my position” and said Bangladeshi authorities should have contacted her in parliament where she “would have shown them that I have nothing to hide.” She declined to say whether she has spoken to her aunt Sheikh Hasina since she was sentenced to death in absentia by the Bangladeshi court. Siddiq is subject to additional charges.
As Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission staff testify against Tulip Siddiq in court she says the process is a “persecution and a farce.” ACC lawyer Khan Mohammad Mainul told the AFP news agency she was “lying“:
“We have obtained all the necessary documents, including her correspondence in this matter. We have strong evidence against her.”
The Guardian has run an entirely uncritical interview of Tulip Siddiq on the day that her trial begins in Bangladesh. She’s making the same points as usual…
The ex-corruption minister said she had no intention of turning up: “I’m yet to see an official summons … I mean, I’m supposedly days away from a showcase trial in a foreign country, and I still don’t know what the charges are against me. I feel a bit like I’m trapped in this Kafkaesque nightmare where I’ve been put on trial and I genuinely haven’t found out what the allegations are and what the trial is about.” As prominent journalist writing on Bangladesh David Bergman points out, if Siddiq had any intention of interacting in good faith with the legal process there she could have appointed a solicitor in Bangladesh to represent her interests. She has not done so and continues to claim to be oblivious to everything…
She blamed the memory of her “elderly parents” for her apparent failure to realise that a flat in King’s Cross had actually been gifted to her by an Awami-League-linked developer. She also refused to distance herself from ousted dictator Sheikh Hasina: “I’m not here to defend my aunt… I know there’s an investigation going on about how her term in government ended. And I really hope the people of Bangladesh get the closure that they want.” Guido has extensively covered the Awami League’s proximity to the Labour party and Tulip in recent years. Siddiq remained silent as the UN accused her aunt’s regime of killing children…
Siddiq maintains she is “collateral damage” in a political dispute between Hasina and Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus. She was formally indicted in Dhaka last week and the trial – which relates to alleged impropriety in new land allocation – is set to begin today. Tulip has always denied wrongdoing. Siddiq’s lawyers have said in a statement: “For nearly a year, the Bangladesh authorities have been making false allegations against Tulip Siddiq. Ms Siddiq has not been contacted or received any official communication from the court and does not and has never owned any land in Purbachal.” The trial begins today.
A landmark investigation by BBC Eye Investigations and BBC Bangla published today says:
“A deadly crackdown on student-led protests in Bangladesh last year was authorised by then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, according to audio of one of her phone calls verified by BBC Eye. In the audio, which was leaked online in March, Hasina says she authorised her security forces to ‘use lethal weapons’ against protesters and that ‘wherever they find [them], they will shoot.’ Prosecutors in Bangladesh plan to use the recording as crucial evidence against Hasina, who is being tried in absentia at a special tribunal for crimes against humanity. Up to 1,400 people died in last summer’s unrest, according to UN investigators.”
A UN report into the protests alleged that state actors were responsible for killing children, widespread use of unlawful detention, and a concerted effort to cover up serious human rights violations. The BBC’s investigation sought to verify audio of a phone call between Hasina and an unnamed official authorising lethal weapons against protesters. Gruesome…
Guido asked Tulip Siddiq today if she would provide a statement on the investigation or her aunt’s regime. Silence came in return…
Allegations against Siddiq and her family – which the MP and her lawyers continue to deny – led to a diplomatic incident last month when Starmer refused to meet the interim leader of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus. Siddiq has claimed that charges against her in Bangladesh are a “smear campaign” and that she wants to get on with the job of being a “London MP.” That job seemingly does not involve opposing violent authoritarian dictators…
Labour is blaming the team of Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus for the fact that he was snubbed by Starmer on his visit to London last month. Quite some line to take…
Lord Wharton asked the FCDO why the visit didn’t take place in a written question and was told by Jenny Chapman: “The travel plans of Chief Adviser Professor Yunus are a matter for the Government of Bangladesh.“ Not true…
Bangladeshi authorities told reporters before the trip that Yunus would be meeting Starmer. This was never confirmed by Downing Street or the FCDO. Internal UK sources told Guido that Starmer was intensely nervous about meeting Yunus in case the interim leader mentioned Tulip Siddiq. Yunus previously discussed a possible extradition of Siddiq, who is facing charges in Bangladesh, which she denies. Guido then revealed any meeting was swerved on the UK side…
Tulip Siddiq and her lawyers deny all wrongdoing. After Yunus met numerous figures in the UK including receiving an award from the King Starmer’s refusal to meet the leader sparked a diplomatic incident. Yunus was asked why Starmer had said no: “I don’t think we have received an explanation from that kind of thing. Probably he is busy with other important things.” Labour’s new excuse doesn’t come close to washing…
One day after Tulip Siddiq gave a piece to camera after handing Sky News the latest letter her lawyers sent to Bangladeshi authorities demanding the case against her be dropped, the Anti-Corruption Commission in Bangladesh has responded. Not mincing words…
Tulip, who along with her lawyers has always denied all wrongdoing, claimed she should be allowed to get on with her job as a London MP. The Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen said:
“My simple question is: What kind of case is Tulip Siddiq’s case that would make Britain’s fragile politics even more fragile? We can look at this differently. A criminal who commits a crime in a country must face it in that country. It now seems she probably wants to settle the case through exchanging letters. This shouldn’t happen. The case is in court. Tulip Siddiq must appear in court and face the case.”
Siddiq declined to say yesterday that she would go to Bangladesh to clear her name in the courts. She did claim the case against her was politically motivated. To this Momen said:
“This is neither a politically motivated case nor a case to belittle anyone. Tulip Siddiq is an accused, like many other accused individuals. We have many bigger cases than this. Tulip is a Bangladeshi citizen to us. She has a national identity card. She has a TIN. We have filed a case against her in Bangladesh. I believe Tulip will follow Bangladesh’s laws and face the case.”
Bangladeshi authorities have indicated that if Siddiq is unwilling to travel to Bangladesh to face charges they will file a red notice with Interpol. Momen raised an interesting point:
“Tulip knew everything from the beginning, which is why she had to step down from her ministerial position. There are three cases against Tulip. The trial will continue in her absence. Is British politics so fragile that the British government and politics will completely collapse if a case is filed against one of their citizens? Is that even possible?”
The MP has always denied that is the case. It looks increasingly unlikely Bangladeshi authorities will let up on Siddiq after her letter campaign…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”