Tulip Siddiq has spoken on camera for the first time since a Bangladesh court issued an arrest warrant for the MP. She says she is facing a “trial by media.”
“No one from the Bangladeshi authorities has contacted me the entire time, they’ve done trial by media. My lawyers proactively wrote to the Bangladeshi authorities – they never responded. I’m sure you’d understand I can’t dignify this politically motivated smear campaign with any context or any comments, it’s a completely politically motivated smear campaign trying to harass me. There is no evidence that I’ve done anything wrong.”
Asked at today’s Lobby briefing to journalists Starmer’s spokesman said the “government doesn’t comment on individual legal cases” and said that in any case it doesn’t “get into extradition issues at all.” Previously the line was that No 10 “wouldn’t get into hypotheticals.” Not hypothetical any more…
Tax minister James Murray was on LBC asked about the arrest warrant issued in Bangladesh for his former Treasury colleague Tulip Siddiq:
“There’s a long-standing government position that we won’t comment on extradition proceedings or in individual cases, I mean I know that Tulip has strenuously denied the allegations and her lawyers have said that it’s political interference that is involved but in terms of what I can say as a government minister there’s a long-standing position that we won’t comment on that.
Murray implied Tulip would not have to provide more in terms of a defence:
“Well my understanding is that she has already strenuously denied the allegations and her lawyers said they believe that there is political interference involved so she and her lawyers have already set out the position as far as I understand it.”
Tulip Siddiq’s team has not so far commented on the ex-minister’s alleged possession of dual nationality. A Bangladeshi court order bears a Bangladeshi National ID Card number for her, suggesting she is a Bangladeshi dual national…
Siddiq denies all wrongdoing on her part. When it comes to extradition proceedings they are agreed on a case by case basis with Bangladesh. Guido asked No 10 back in January if they would comply with an extradition request and the PM’s spokesman said Downing Street “wouldn’t get into hypotheticals.” Judge Mohammad Jakir Hossain has set 27 April as the implementation date for the warrant…
UPDATE: Now Tulip Siddiq claims she is “victim of a politically motivated smear campaign” after Bangladesh issues an arrest warrant.
Bangladeshi media today reports:
“The hearing of the chargesheet in the corruption case involving former premier Sheikh Hasina and members of her family is scheduled to begin at Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judges’ Court from Thursday. The case centres on allegations of irregularities and abuse of power in the allocation of government land in Purbachal New Town project overseen by RAJUK.”
This kicks off hearings for six cases involving the allocation of property in the Purbachal area in Dhaka. The Anti-Corruption Commission has confirmed the court schedule: “The cases will be heard in three phases, starting 15 days after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted its chargesheets. The ACC submitted the chargesheets on Mar 24 in connection with the six land allocation cases. All six were filed at the Senior Special Judges’ Court in Dhaka.” Sheikh Hasina and members of her family including former corruption minister Tulip Siddiq are named on the ACC’s charge sheets, along with sixteen officials from RAJUK and the Ministry of Housing and Public Works. A total of 23 people are accused…
The court schedule for the charge sheets is reported as:
The ACC says these “hearings are a prerequisite for determining the admissibility of the chargesheets.” Siddiq for her part denies all wrongdoing – she and her lawyers call claims against her “vexatious.” Formal proceedings initiated…
Pressure is not letting up on Tulip Siddiq following her public remarks and exchange of letters with the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission. The ex-anti-corruption minister told Sky: “Why don’t you look at my legal letter and see if I have any questions to answer… [the Bangladeshi authorities] have not once contacted me and I’m waiting to hear from them.” The letter is detailed here…
Last night the Bangladeshi ACC’s Chairman Abdul Momen responded to that by insisting there is extensive documentary evidence to substantiate their claims:
“The charge sheet has been prepared after a thorough examination of documentary evidence. The rest lies with the court, while execution of all orders lies with the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also be involved… The same legal standards will apply to other absconding accused, including Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Sajeeb Wazed, Saima Wazed, Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq.”
The Bangladesh courts have already issued a travel ban. Downing Street has refused to comment on the possibility of extradition in a hypothetical scenario in which charges are issued by Bangladesh…
Now the UK Daily Mail has searched records at the Dhaka Sub Registry Office and has reported an apparent inconsistency with the MP’s declarations over the ownership of property: “Entries in Westminster’s Register of Members’ Interests state she co-owned the property with a family member in June 2015 and by the following month ownership had been transferred. But searches made last week by the Mail at the Dhaka Sub Registry Office appear to show that Ms Siddiq still owns the flat, as the ACC alleges. A Bangladeshi court will now decide who owns it.” Siddiq and her lawyers call claims against her “vexatious.“ Things are moving…
Former IMF economist Ahsan Mansur, appointed governor of Bangladesh Bank following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime, has spoken to Al Jazeera about his mission to recover billions allegedly stolen by individuals connected to Hasina. He is starting in London…
There are 11 specialist teams in the central bank tracking down anywhere up to $25 billion of funds which were laundered from Bangladesh. Mansur says a huge number of assets are in the UK as a “favourite destination,” specifically London. The governor is in talks with the FCDO to arrange for support, which comes after a team of US investigators in Dhaka had their funding (from USAID) cut off. Mansur says Hasina’s regime co-operated in the theft:
“You cannot do that kind of diversion by yourself you had to have the support from the highest level of the government and I’m sure there was some sharing of of the booty.”
PR firm Palatine Media fired a suspect email to all 47 MPs in the APPG on responsible tax and corruption prior to their meeting with Mansur this week attacking the governor and claiming he should face corruption investigations. That effort didn’t work…
Ex-city minister Tulip Siddiq has defended herself in an exchange of letter with the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission. She denies any wrongdoing. The ACC says it will be in touch with Siddiq’s lawyers in “due course”…
The International Anti-Corruption Co-ordination Centre, an arm of the National Crime Agency, is understood to be looking to help with any investigations into corruption from Hasina’s regime and now Mansur asks the FCDO to get involved. The UK’s deep and unfortunate links to the Hasina’s regime mean it cannot stay inactive for long…
Tulip Siddiq has instructed lawyers Stephenson Harwood to write to the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission with regard to their multiple investigations and allegations into the MP. Their key points:
This is Siddiq’s first substantial response since her resignation. The lawyers demand questions from the ACC “promptly” and “no later than 25 March 2025” or they “presume that there are no legitimate questions to answer.” In response the ACC has said in a letter that Siddiq had “spent most of her adult life residing in homes owned by cronies of the notoriously venal Awami League” and her “claims to have been unaware of the nature of the Hasina regime.” The ACC says it will be in touch with Siddiq’s lawyers in “due course”…
ACC chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen adds: “All allegations raised against Ms Siddiq will be proven in any court, including the ones in the United Kingdom.” Starmer, meanwhile, has by leaving the door open for Siddiq’s return done “injustice to and defamed the name Kier Hardie, the founder of the Labour Party, from whom his parents had said to have drawn his name. As Britain is a frontrunner of democracy I expect a British Premier to be a role model for the world.” Developments…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”