London, Aug 13 (PTI) British MP Tulip Siddiq, the niece of Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, on Wednesday dismissed a corruption trial in Dhaka as a “farce” that is built on “fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta”.
Siddiq, who represents north London’s Hampstead and Highgate constituency for the governing Labour Party, had resigned as a Treasury minister earlier this year after allegations of corruption against her family hit the headlines.
Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had opened investigations into the member of Parliament in connection with the government of Sheikh Hasina, ousted after a massive student-led protest last year. It claims Siddiq received a 7,200-square-foot plot in a diplomatic zone through “abuse of power and influence”.
“The so-called trial now underway in Dhaka is nothing more than a farce — built on fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta,” Siddiq said in a statement posted on social media.
“Over the past year, the allegations against me have repeatedly shifted, yet I have never been contacted by the Bangladeshi authorities once. I have never received a court summons, no official communication, and no evidence,” she claimed.
The former UK government anti-corruption minister said if the proceedings, which began in Bangladesh on Wednesday, were a genuine legal process, the authorities would have engaged with her or her legal team and presented their alleged evidence.
“Instead, they have peddled false and vexatious allegations that have been briefed to the media but never formally put to me by investigators. Even my offer to meet Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, during his recent visit to London was refused,” said Siddiq.
“Such conduct is wholly incompatible with the principles of a fair trial that we uphold in the UK. I have been clear from the outset that I have done nothing wrong and will respond to any credible evidence that is presented to me. Continuing to smear my name to score political points is both baseless and damaging,” she added.
The 42-year-old politician has consistently denied all the allegations against her, claiming the prosecution is politically motivated.
In her resignation letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer back in January, she pointed out that his Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests had not found her in breach of the UK’s Ministerial Code and asserted that she had not “acted improperly”.
Siddiq, who is the daughter of Sheikh Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana, is among a number of family members indicted in the Bangladesh proceedings, which began this week. PTI AK ZH ZH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.