Property Row: UK Minister Tulip Siddiq Resigns Over Ties to Aunt Sheikh Hasina

Tulip Siddiq resigned Tuesday night to prevent an ethics probe from becoming a “distraction” to the UK government.

Tulip Siddiq (left), the niece of former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, resigned from the British government on the night of Tuesday, 14 January to prevent an ethics probe from becoming a “distraction” to the government.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Tulip Siddiq, the niece of former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, resigned from the British government on the night of Tuesday, 14 January to prevent an ethics probe from becoming a “distraction” to the government.

The UK's anti-corruption minister and prominent Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate, Siddiq was under intense pressure – and scrutiny – over her connection with the ousted government in Bangladesh.

Siddiq's resignation comes a day after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) confirmed it had filed a criminal case against Hasina and her extended family over an alleged large-scale land grab of lucrative plots in a suburb of the capital, Dhaka. The case named the former prime minister as well as Siddiq, reported The Guardian.

“Sheikh Hasina, in collaboration with some officials, allocated plots for herself and her family members,” said ACC Director General Akhter Hossain.

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

Akhter Hossain, Director General, ACC

According to The Guardian, the police report alleged that Siddiq “became aware” of a deal orchestrated by Hasina that allotted large plots of land in Dhaka to family members. She reportedly “used her special influence and authority to pressure and influence” Sheikh Hasina to arrange similar land allocations for Siddiq’s mother, sister, and brother. The evidence for these claims, the report added, was “revealed from various sources”.

There are also allegations in Bangladesh that are under investigation that she and Hasina’s other family members embezzled billions of dollars as part of a nuclear power plant deal with Russia.

In her resignation letter to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Siddiq said she had shared the “full details of my finances and living arrangements, both present and historic” with Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's independent advisor on ministerial standards.

“As you know, having conducted an in-depth review of the matter at my request, Sir Laurie has confirmed that I have not breached the ministerial code,” she said, referring to the ethics rules that govern the conduct of British ministers.

Siddiq said the watchdog had found “no evidence” of wrongdoing – and stressed that she had provided “full details of my relationships and private interests to the government” when becoming a minister as well as recusing herself from any matters relating to Bangladesh.

“However, it is clear that continuing in my role as economic secretary to the treasury is likely to be a distraction from the work of the government,” she added.

Many a Property Scandal

Last week, Siddiq had referred herself to the ministerial standards watchdog over allegations that she has lived in multiple properties tied to the ousted Bangladesh’s Awami League government, as reported by The Financial Times. She had asked Magnus to investigate whether she might have broken the ministerial code.

“In recent weeks, I have been the subject of media reporting, much of it inaccurate, about my financial affairs and my family’s links to the former government of Bangladesh. I am clear that I have done nothing wrong. However, for the avoidance of doubt, I would like you to independently establish the facts about these matters.”

Siddiq wrote to Magnus

In the UK, Siddiq is under pressure over her occupancy of several properties, including a two-bedroom flat near King’s Cross and another home in London’s posh Hampstead.

It is ironical that the economic secretary to the Treasury, a job which includes special responsibility for corruption, money-laundering, and dodgy finance of all stripes, found herself in this position.

The Financial Times revealed on Friday, 3 January that the King’s Cross flat was bought in 2001 for £195,000 by Abdul Motalif, a developer with links to members of Hasina’s Awami League. Siddiq became the owner of that flat in 2004 without paying for it.

The Sunday Times then reported that she had lived in the separate Hampstead property after it had been bought by Moin Ghani, a lawyer who represented Hasina’s government, and transferred to Siddiq’s sister.

Siddiq is also renting a £2.1 million home in East Finchley owned by Abdul Karim, an executive member of the UK wing of the Awami League. Reportedly, Tulip’s mother is in a Golders Green house owned through an offshore trust by the son of another of Sheikh Hasina’s billionaire political advisors.

While Hasina’s regime in Bangladesh stands accused of election tampering, political violence, extrajudicial killings, it also faces charges of ‘rampant corruption’ – including the illegal transfer of more than £100 billion overseas.

Not the First Controversy

This is not the first time Siddiq is in the midst of controversy.

Last year, she apologised to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for the ‘administrative oversight’ for failing to declare that she was renting out her Cricklewood flat.

Siddiq’s connections with Hasina’s Awami League have often caused her political problems.

In 2017, she refused to answer questions about Ahmad bin Quasem, a British-trained barrister in prison in Bangladesh, claiming she had nothing to do with her aunt’s government.

She said, “I’m a Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn; I’m a British member of parliament. Be very careful. I’m not Bangladeshi and the person you are talking about, I have no idea about their case.”

Clearly, the cosy family affair has ended in destroying Siddiq's political career.

(This article has been updated with the most recent developments. It was first published on 8 January.)

(Nabanita Sircar is a senior journalist based in London. She tweets at @sircarnabanita. This is an opinion piece, and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)