Bangladesh ACC defends verdict against UK MP Tulip Siddiq following global scrutiny

Dhaka, Dec 3 Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) claimed that it had thoroughly reviewed all prosecution materials in the case against UK MP Tulip Siddiq, filed by the anti-graft body amid concerns raised in recent media reports about her trial and sentencing.

The ACC's clarification came after a Dhaka court on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison over irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal New Town project.

Additionally, Hasina's sister, Sheikh Rehana, was handed a seven-year sentence, while her niece, Tulip Siddiq, received two years' imprisonment.

The verdict delivered in the absence of the defendants and without proper legal representation sparked widespread concerns over judicial fairness.

"From the case records, it appears that each matter involves allegations of corruption relating to the allotment of plots of land in the names of Ms Siddiq's aunt (the deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina), her mother, Sheikh Rehana, and her siblings and cousins. In one of the pending cases, it further appears that Ms Siddiq herself was allotted a plot during her aunt's tenure as head of government," read a statement issued by the ACC.

It further claimed that the prosecution examined 32 witnesses, several of whom testified against Siddiq, which indicated that "she was deeply involved in the illegal process of securing plots."

Following the Dhaka court verdict, Tulip slammed the interim government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of presiding over what she described as a "miscarriage of justice".

"I've still had no contact whatsoever from the Bangladeshi authorities, despite them spreading malicious allegations against me for a year and a half now. I've tried to be responsible. I've engaged lawyers here in the UK who have repeatedly written to the Bangladeshi authorities, but they haven't responded. I then tried to engage a lawyer in Bangladesh itself, who went and tried to find out what was happening in court. They intimidated him and threatened him, and he withdrew," the British MP stated in an interview video she posted on her social media platform X.

She said that Yunus should be "ashamed of himself" as he is "presiding over this miscarriage of justice".

"What he is doing is relentlessly pursuing a personal vendetta, trying to smear my reputation, and trying to drag a democratically elected member of parliament in Britain into the dirty politics of Bangladesh," she added.

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