Staff Reporter :
In a developing controversy, UK Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to dismiss Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq amidst growing corruption allegations.
The issue gained prominence after Nobel Laureate and Bangladeshi interim government Chief Adviser (CA), Dr Muhammad Yunus, urged an investigation into London properties reportedly linked to Siddiq and her family.
Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticise Starmer’s support for Siddiq, stating: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq. Now the Government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina.”
This statement coincided with Dr Yunus’ interview with The Sunday Times, where he called for a probe into properties allegedly tied to Siddiq in Hampstead and King’s Cross, London. Dr Yunus suggested that if it was proven these properties had been acquired improperly, they should be returned to Bangladesh.
In response to the allegations, Siddiq referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, stating: “I am clear that I have done nothing wrong.” She has also stepped back from an official trip to China with the Chancellor to allow the investigation to proceed.
International media reports allege Siddiq used a Hampstead
flat provided by Moin Ghani, a lawyer representing Sheikh Hasina’s government, and a King’s Cross property offered by Abdul Motalif, a close associate of the Awami League.
Additional allegations suggest Siddiq facilitated discussions with Russia regarding Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in 2013, despite holding no official UK government position at the time. Reports of embezzlement linked to the $4 billion Rooppur project have further implicated members of Sheikh Hasina’s family.
The UK Cabinet Office’s Justice and Ethics Team is reportedly investigating these claims, as well as Siddiq’s ties to Bangladeshi political figures.
In Bangladesh, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her daughter Saima Wazed (Putul) over alleged irregularities in the Purbachal New Town Project.
The case accuses them of misusing their positions to acquire six plots, each measuring 10 katha (totalling 60 katha), in the project’s diplomatic zone.
The ACC’s investigation, initiated on 26 December, uncovered that the plots were allocated to Hasina’s family members, including her sister Sheikh Rehana and their children.
Former RAJUK officials and ministry members have also been implicated, including Md Anisur Rahman Mia, Md Shahid Ullah Khandaker, and retired Major Engineer Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury.
Akhtar Hossain, the ACC’s Director General (Prevention), stated: “Sheikh Hasina abused her authority to allocate these plots to her family members’ names, raising questions about transparency and accountability.”
The dual controversies have intensified scrutiny of Sheikh Hasina’s regime and its international connections. With Tulip Siddiq’s ministerial role under investigation and Sheikh Hasina facing legal challenges at home, the allegations risk straining UK-Bangladesh relations and fuelling debates over political accountability in both nations.
