Labour MP Tulip Siddiq sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh

Labour MP and former minister Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh after being tried in absentia alongside 16 others over corruption allegations.

She was found guilty of allegedly influencing her aunt, Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure a plot of land for her family on the outskirts of Dhaka—a claim Siddiq strongly denies.

Based in London, Siddiq is unlikely to serve the sentence. She continues to face multiple outstanding charges in Bangladesh. Since Hasina’s government was overthrown, prosecutors have launched a series of legal cases against the former leader, her associates, and family members.

The trial, which has been ongoing in Dhaka since August, stems from claims that Siddiq “forced and influenced her aunt…using her special power to secure [a plot of land] for her mother, sister, and brother.” A Bangladeshi Anti-Corruption Commission prosecutor said Siddiq was tried as a Bangladeshi citizen, citing her passport, ID, and tax number. Siddiq’s lawyers have disputed this, stating she has never held a valid Bangladeshi ID or passport since childhood.

Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the sentence along with a fine of 100,000 Bangladeshi Taka (about $821). Failure to pay would add six months to the prison term.

At the start of the trial, Siddiq dismissed the allegations as false, stating they were “peddled…to the media but never formally put to me by investigators.” A statement on her behalf emphasized: “I have done nothing wrong and will respond to any credible evidence…Continuing to smear my name to score political points is both baseless and damaging.”

She has not made any public comments since the verdict.