Staff Reporter :
Scotland Yard, also known as Britain’s FBI, faced mounting pressure to investigate the source of funding for London properties used by Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq, following allegations that her family embezzled infrastructure funds in Bangladesh.
Susan Hall, a former Conservative mayoral candidate who oversees Scotland Yard, has formally written to Graeme Biggar, the Director General of the National Crime Agency (NCA), requesting an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) against Tulip.
This was reported by Daily Mail Online on Sunday. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to act on the findings of an independent investigation into allegations against Tulip Siddiq, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury. Tulip’s alleged links to properties tied to her aunt, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have sparked controversy.
While Starmer expressed confidence in Siddiq, calls for her resignation have intensified amid claims of impropriety and corruption.
Critics have labeled Siddiq’s decision to refer herself to Sir Laurie Magnus, the government’s independent adviser on ministerial standards, as a ploy to delay her resignation.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed the move as a calculated attempt to buy time, stating:
“The referral to the ethics adviser is nothing more than a calculated delay tactic. If Starmer were serious about integrity, Siddiq would already be out of her role.”
Labour insiders have also expressed concern that Tulip’s position is increasingly untenable, particularly as her ties to Sheikh Hasina’s regime continue to draw scrutiny.
Simultaneously, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed cases against Ms Siddiq and several of her relatives, including her aunt, the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and her mother Sheikh Rehana. The allegations accuse them of illegally acquiring government plots in Purbachal New Town through abuse of power.
The allegations focus on properties linked to Tulip’s family and the Awami League party, led by her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was removed from office as Bangladeshi Prime Minister in August.
Tulip, 42, who also serves as the UK Anti-Corruption Minister, has referred herself to the Prime Minister’s standards adviser following claims that she facilitated the embezzlement of £3.9 billion in connection with a Russian-funded nuclear power plant project in Bangladesh.
In a letter, Ms Hall cited investigations by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission into infrastructure projects initiated during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure. She highlighted properties allegedly linked to Tulip, including a flat in King’s Cross gifted for free, a flat in Hampstead later transferred to Tulip’s sister without cost, and a £2.1 million North London house owned by a politically connected developer, where Ms Siddiq resides and pays rent.
Ms Hall argued that a UWO was necessary to determine the source of Tulip’s wealth, particularly in light of a recent request by the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit for access to her bank account details. She stated, “I urge the NCA to investigate this matter urgently.
Given Tulip’s role as Labour’s Anti-Corruption Minister, it is deeply concerning that she is now implicated in allegations of corruption. This raises serious questions about the Prime Minister’s judgement and the Government’s integrity.”
Unexplained Wealth Orders are legal tools that require individuals to disclose the origins of wealth that appears disproportionate to their known income.
In her response to the allegations, Ms Siddiq told Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s standards adviser, “I am clear that I have done nothing wrong.” Downing Street confirmed that Sir Laurie would conduct a fact-finding exercise to determine if further action is necessary.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer expressed confidence in Ms Siddiq, stating that she had “acted entirely properly” by referring herself for investigation. He added that she remains committed to her duties as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, overseeing economic crime, money laundering, and illicit finance.
Meanwhile, the ACC has filed three cases in Bangladesh against Sheikh Rehana, her son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, and daughter Azmina Siddiq, accusing them of acquiring government plots in Purbachal New Town unlawfully. Tulip Siddiq, Rehana’s eldest daughter, has also been named, marking her first criminal case in Bangladesh.
The ACC alleges that Ms Siddiq leveraged her influence to secure plots for her family by exploiting her aunt Hasina’s authority. The cases involve three 10-katha plots, totalling 30 katha, in the diplomatic zone of Purbachal’s Sector 27.
Separate cases have been filed against Sheikh Hasina, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and 14 others for similar accusations of improper plot allocations in Purbachal.
