London:

Anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq resigned from the UK government Tuesday after being named in graft probes in Bangladesh launched when her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted as the country’s leader.

In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Siddiq repeated she had done nothing wrong but said continuing in office would likely “be a distraction from the work of the government”.

Siddiq, 42, has been dogged by claims about her links to Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August after a student-led uprising against her decades-long, increasingly authoritarian tenure as prime minister.

Hasina, 77, has defied extradition requests to face Bangladeshi charges including of mass murder.

On Monday, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission announced she and family members, including Siddiq, were subject to another graft probe, this time over an alleged land grab of lucrative plots in a suburb of the capital Dhaka.

Family members including Siddiq had already emerged as named targets of the commission’s investigation into accusations of embezzlement of $5 billion connected to a Russian-funded nuclear power plant.

Bangladeshi money laundering investigators have since ordered the country’s big banks to hand over details of transactions relating to Siddiq as part of the probe.

In her letter of resignation, Siddiq said her “family connections were a matter of public record” and that she had acted with “full transparency”.

She insisted her “loyalty is and always will be” to the Labour government and the “programme of national renewal and transformation it has embarked upon”.

“I have therefore decided to resign from my ministerial position.”

Starmer thanked Siddiq for her work and recognised that “no evidence of financial improprieties on your part” had been found.

“I appreciate that to end ongoing distraction from delivering our agenda to change Britain, you have made a difficult decision and want to be clear that the door remains open for you going forward,” Starmer added.

Siddiq is an MP for a north London constituency whose ministerial job was part of the finance ministry and responsible for the UK’s financial services sector as well as anti-corruption measures.

Over the weekend, a Sunday Times investigation revealed details about the claims that she spent years living in a London flat bought by an offshore company connected to two Bangladeshi businessmen.

The flat was eventually transferred as a gift to a Bangladeshi lawyer with links to Hasina, her family and her ousted government, according to the newspaper.

It also reported Siddiq and her family were given or used several other London properties bought by members or associates of the Awami League party.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dhaka:

Bangladesh’s anti-graft commission has filed cases against ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her family, including a British government minister and a senior United Nations official, its chief said Monday.

Hasina, 77, fled a revolution in August 2024 to neighbouring India, where she has defied extradition requests from Bangladesh to face charges including mass murder.

The cases are linked to an alleged large-scale land grab of lucrative plots in a suburb of the densely populated capital Dhaka.

“Sheikh Hasina, in collaboration with some officials, allocated plots for herself and her family members,” Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director general Akhter Hossain told reporters.

Hossain said those named in the case also include Hasina’s niece, British anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq. She has insisted she has done nothing wrong.

Hasina’s daughter Saima Wazed, the World Health Organization’s South East Asia chief, is also listed. There was no immediate response from Wazed.

“The ACC investigation team has obtained the necessary documents and found sufficient evidence to file the cases,” Hossain told AFP.

“They will include relevant details, such as property acquisitions while conducting further investigations.”

Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy is also named, as well as Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana, Siddiq’s mother.

Siddiq referred herself this month to the standards adviser of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The referral came after British newspapers the Sunday Times and Financial Times reported that she had lived in properties linked to Hasina’s administration.

Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commission also launched a probe in December into the alleged embezzlement by Hasina’s family of $5 billion connected to a Russian-funded nuclear power plant.

The kickback allegations relate to the $12.65 billion Rooppur nuclear plant, which was bankrolled by Moscow with a 90 percent loan.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

British Minister Tulip Siddiq. File photo: PA via AP

“Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has called for an investigation into the properties of British Minister Tulip Siddiq and her family, indicating that they may have acquired them through unlawful means during her aunt Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as Bangladesh premier,” reports said on Sunday (January 12, 2025.)

In an interview with the Times newspaper, Mr. Yunus condemned the use of properties gifted to Ms. Siddiq and her family by “allies of her aunt’s deposed regime.” He demanded the return of the assets to Bangladesh if she is found to have benefited from “plain robbery.”

“It’s about plain robbery,” Mr. Yunus said, accusing the previous government of embezzling funds through fraudulent practices that have had long-lasting effects on the country.

Ms. Siddiq, a member of Britain’s Labour Cabinet, serves as the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister, responsible for addressing corruption within the U.K.’s financial markets.

A day after publishing Mr. Yunus’ interview, the British newspaper on Sunday (January 12, 2025) carried another report titled “]the U.K] PM urged to sack Tulip Siddiq after Bangladesh leader’s rebuke”.

It said the “anti-corruption Minister is facing calls to resign after the leader of Bangladesh condemned the use of properties gifted to her and her family by its former regime.”

According to the Sunday Times, Mr. Yunus’ comments on the scandal engulfing Ms. Siddiq (42), will add to the pressure on her to resign, though there are suggestions that Downing Street is already looking for a replacement.

Mr. Yunus’ intervention came as a Sunday Times investigation found Ms. Siddiq spent years living in a Hampstead property bought by an offshore company named in the Panama Papers and connected to two Bangladeshi businessmen.

In his interview with the Times, Mr. Yunus said it was an “irony” that Ms. Siddiq had been accused of corruption.

Mr. Yunus referred to a recent official report that found the people connected with the Awami League regime had taken billions of dollars a year out of Bangladesh, with some funds used to buy assets, including properties abroad.

“They pointed out how money is stolen, but it’s not stealing – when you steal, you hide it. It’s a robbery,” he said.

Asked if it could apply to properties used by members of Ms. Hasina’s family in London, Chief Advisor Yunus said, “Absolutely, it’s about plain robbery. Nothing else.”

“If a U.K. Parliament member is involved, definitely it’s a big issue…We got used to (the previous regime) taking away everything, so we feel relieved that you’re bringing this [issue] to the attention of the world,” he said.

Mr. Yunus also said that if feasible, the properties bought by the Awami League allies should be returned to Bangladesh. He said his officials aimed to recover cash and assets held overseas but originating from funds in Bangladesh.

According to the Sunday Times, the National Crime Agency, Britain’s equivalent of the FBI, indicated its willingness to help Bangladesh recover certain assets.