Bangladesh court begins Siddiq trial

The ex minister faces corruption allegations linked to a Dhaka land plot and says the process is politically motivated.

Bangladesh court begins trial of Labour MP Tulip Siddiq

A Dhaka court formally started the trial of Tulip Siddiq, a Labour MP who sits for Hampstead and Highgate in the UK. The hearing involves 21 accused, including Siddiq’s aunt and other family members. Siddiq did not attend. Prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Commission say she used her position to influence her aunt Sheikh Hasina to secure a plot of land in a Dhaka suburb for family members.

Bangladeshi law blocks anyone who owns land in the Dhaka area from receiving a plot in the nearby Purbachal project. If found guilty, the maximum sentence could be life imprisonment. Siddiq’s lawyers have said she never held a Bangladesh national identity card or passport since childhood, and she has criticised the process as unfair.

Siddiq posted on X that she had not been contacted by authorities and asked for the evidence to be shown. The next hearing is scheduled for August 28. In a wider frame, authorities are also probing a separate case of embezzlement linked to a Russian funded nuclear plant deal from 2013, a matter Siddiq denies involvement in. Hasina fled Bangladesh for India after a crackdown on protests last year.

The case highlights how corruption allegations can become a weapon in political battles, especially when they touch powerful families. For diaspora politicians, scrutiny back home carries reputational risk even before evidence is weighed. The emphasis on family ties and land in Dhaka adds a domestic drama to what is already a charged political moment.

At the same time, the cross border nature of the case raises questions about how foreign legislators can be drawn into home country disputes. It also tests how media coverage and official investigations interact in a global city where politics and business intersect. The stakes go beyond one MP and touch on how accountability is pursued when intertwined with alliance politics.

Highlights

Cross border accountability is shaping the debate on how justice is pursued in fluid political environments.