Tulip Siddiq Sentenced to Prison for the Second Time in Bangladesh, Labour Party Criticises Trial Process
A Bangladeshi court has sentenced UK Labour Party MP and former minister Tulip Siddiq to four years in prison for the second time in a corruption case. The Labour Party has criticised the trial process, calling it unfair and flawed. British news outlet BBC reported the news.
Reacting to the verdict, a Labour Party spokesperson said that Tulip Siddiq was denied due legal process in this case. She was never informed of the detailed allegations against her. The spokesperson further said that despite repeated requests made through her lawyers, the Bangladeshi authorities did not respond. In any allegation, there should be an opportunity for self-defence. Since that did not happen, we cannot recognise this verdict.
On the other hand, MP Tulip Siddiq described the entire trial process as flawed and farcical from beginning to end. She said, “I do not understand the whole matter. For one and a half years, allegations have been spread against me, yet the Bangladeshi authorities have still not contacted me in any way.”
Additionally, in a separate corruption case, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two other members of her family have been sentenced to varying prison terms. The trials in these cases were conducted in the absence of the accused, and all of them have denied the allegations.
It is worth noting that this four-year sentence has been added to a previous two-year prison term. At the end of last year, she was sentenced to two years in another corruption case. In that case, she was convicted of using influence to obtain a piece of land on the outskirts of Dhaka. In light of these allegations, she resigned from her position as UK Treasury minister in January 2025.
