A senior judge in Dhaka has mandated the pursuit of an Interpol red notice targeting Tulip Siddiq, a sitting British Labour MP and former Treasury minister, on grounds of corruption. The order was issued by Justice Muhammad Sabbir Foyez on Thursday, responding to a formal application submitted by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission.
The allegations assert that Siddiq exploited her familial ties to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to improperly influence the allocation of valuable land in Dhaka’s affluent Gulshan district. This development represents the latest escalation in a series of legal actions against the parliamentarian, who has already received three separate prison sentences totaling six years in absentia from Bangladeshi courts on related corruption charges.
Siddiq, who represents the London constituency of Hampstead and Highgate, has consistently denied all accusations, previously characterizing the judicial proceedings as fundamentally “flawed and farcical from beginning to end.” The Labour Party has echoed these concerns, with a spokesperson emphasizing that Siddiq’s legal team was repeatedly denied the opportunity to make representations despite formal requests, thereby undermining the fairness of the judicial process.
The case unfolds against a backdrop of profound political transformation in Bangladesh. Siddiq’s aunt, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted from her lengthy premiership by a mass student-led uprising in August 2024 and currently resides in exile in India. Subsequently, a court sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity related to her government’s lethal crackdown on protesters.
This political upheaval culminated in November’s general election, widely regarded as the nation’s first free and fair electoral process in nearly two decades, which resulted in a decisive victory for the Bangladeshi National Party (BNP). Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and assassinated President Ziaur Rahman, assumed office as the new premier on February 17th.