Staff Reporter :
Tulip Siddiq, the UK’s Anti-Corruption Minister, has resigned following an investigation into alleged financial irregularities and tax issues involving properties she received as gifts from individuals linked to Bangladeshi politics and the family of Sheikh Hasina, the deposed former Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Under scrutiny, Tulip was unable to provide conclusive evidence to validate the funding and tax arrangements related to properties associated with her aunt’s regime in Dhaka.
Her resignation follows advice from Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser, who expressed regret over Siddiq’s failure to fully acknowledge the reputational risks posed by her familial connections to Sheikh Hasina, the deposed Bangladeshi leader.
Sir Laurie further criticised her inability to substantiate her financial dealings with adequate evidence, describing the situation as “regrettable.”
The controversy intensified after Siddiq was accused of accepting a flat as a gift. In response, she issued a public correction to an earlier statement, which only heightened concerns about her integrity.
Although Sir Laurie concluded with recommendation that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer reconsider her (Tulip) position as Anti-Corruption Minister. Despite the damning assessment, Prime Minister Starmer, a close ally of Siddiq, expressed sadness over her resignation; offering words of support and leaving the possibility open for her future return to politics.
Tulip and several members of her family are currently under investigation by an anti-corruption commission in Dhaka.
Allegations have surfaced implicating Tulip in facilitating a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, during which substantial sums of money are believed to have been misappropriated.
She has also been named in a separate inquiry into the alleged illegal allocation of land to family members during her tenure as a Member of Parliament in Bangladesh.
In light of mounting scrutiny over her use of properties linked to her aunt, Tulip referred herself to the UK Prime Minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, last week.
In her resignation letter, she described the controversy surrounding her connections as a “distraction” to the Government’s work.
