Staff Reporter :
British MP Tulip Siddiq has sought a meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, during his visit to London in an effort to “clear the air” over corruption allegations linked to her family.
However, the Chief Adviser’s office has stated that the matter is a legal issue and will be addressed through proper channels.
In a letter, Siddiq – a Member of the UK Parliament and niece of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – requested a meeting to discuss what she described as a “misunderstanding perpetuated by the anti-corruption committee in Dhaka.”
According to a report by The Guardian, she expressed hope that the meeting would help clarify that she has questions to answer related to her aunt, the former prime minister.
Responding to Siddiq’s letter, Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, told reporters at a press conference at the Bangladesh High Commission in London that the issue would be dealt with legally.
He also confirmed that Siddiq was not present at a recent gathering between Professor Yunus and a group of UK parliamentarians organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in London.
The government’s position signals that despite Siddiq’s attempts to open a political dialogue, any allegations involving her will be examined through the judicial process.
Professor Yunus, currently in London for official engagements with international stakeholders, has not made a personal comment on the letterMeanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Bangladesh has recently confiscated 13 years’ worth of income tax records belonging to Tulip Siddiq as part of an ongoing investigation.
Officials have also seized documents from RAJUK relating to a flat registered in her name at Janata Housing Society on Ring Road in Dhaka’s Shyamoli area.
Confirming the actions on Wednesday, ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain said: “An officer has the authority to seize any tax-related documents if deemed necessary for an inquiry.”
Earlier in April, the ACC filed a case against several individuals, including Siddiq, over allegations of unlawfully acquiring a flat from Eastern Housing Limited in Gulshan, Dhaka.
According to the case documents, the property was originally allocated in 1963 by the then Dhaka Improvement Trust (DIT) to Imam Hossain Chowdhury, former Chief Justice of East Pakistan.
The plot, initially recorded as Plot No. CWN (A)-27, was later renumbered as Plot No. 05, Block NE(A), Gulshan, covering an area of 1 bigha, 19 kathas, and 13 chitaks.
The 1964 lease deed specified that the plot was not transferable or divisible for 99 years.
