A Dhaka court has sentenced Tulip Siddiq, niece of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to two years’ imprisonment in a case filed over irregularities in allocation of a 10-katha plot in Rajuk Purbachal New Town project.
Judge Md Rabiul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 on Monday delivered the judgement against Tulip, also a British MP, in her absentia.
The court also sentenced Tulip’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, to seven years in prison. In the same case, Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to five years for the Rajuk plot scam. All the three have also been fined Tk1 lakh each.
In this case, Sheikh Rehana is the main accused, as she is a plot recipient. Tulip is the second accused, while Sheikh Hasina is the third.
On Monday, Tulip was found guilty of influencing her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, to secure the plot for her family in the capital.
Tulip stepped down from her position as a UK minister responsible for tackling the financial corruption under British Prime Minister Keir Starmer this January after reports emerged that she had been residing in London properties linked to her aunt.
Tulip serves as the MP for Hampstead and Highgate in north London and previously held the post of economic secretary to the Treasury in the Labour government, overseeing the UK’s financial crime and anticorruption agenda.
Tulip still faces several pending cases in the country. Her trial, which began in August, followed her resignation as a UK Treasury minister.
According to the case documents, she used her “special power” to pressure Hasina into securing land for her mother, sister Azmina Siddiq, and brother Radwan Siddiq. the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on 13 January naming 15 individuals including Hasina, Rehana and Tulip. The investigation officer later submitted a charge sheet against 17 accused on 10 March.
The ACC argued she was tried as a Bangladeshi citizen, citing records of a passport, ID, and tax number. But her lawyers disputed this and said that she has never held a voter ID card and has not had a passport since childhood.
In a statement later, she maintained her innocence, saying she would respond to credible evidence but condemned attempts to “smear” her name for political gain.
Her family has also faced scrutiny over alleged embezzlement linked to a £3.9 billion nuclear power plant deal with Russia in 2013.
Before her resignation, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, found no evidence of misconduct but noted Tulip had underestimated the reputational risks of her association with Hasina. Tulip said she stepped down to avoid being a “distraction” to the government.
The UK has no extradition treaty with Bangladesh. As a category 2B country, extradition would require clear evidence to be presented before lawyers and judges could authorise it.
