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The UK’s anti-corruption minister, Tulip Siddiq, has resigned from the government after being named in several corruption investigations in Bangladesh. The allegations extend to several close family members, including Siddiq’s aunt – the deposed Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina – and mother, Sheikh Rehana. Hasina faces serious criminal charges after her government was ousted amid widespread political unrest.
Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the wake of massive protests and political turmoil that brought an end to her 15-year rule. Her government is accused of a range of authoritarian practices, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
There are also allegations of financial mismanagement on a large scale. Reports indicate that more than 1,500 people were killed and thousands more injured during violent clashes in July and August 2024 that surrounded her fall from power.
The newly formed Bangladeshi government has established an international tribunal to investigate crimes committed during Hasina’s tenure. Legal proceedings are underway to issue warrants for the arrest of Hasina and her family members. These include Siddiq, who may be called to account for her alleged involvement in corruption cases.
Tulip Siddiq’s name has reportedly appeared in two significant corruption investigations, but she has repeatedly denied all the allegations made against her and has referred herself to the prime minister’s adviser on ministerial interests, who is reponsible for determining that ministers comply with government conduct rules. It’s standard behaviour for ministers and is in no way an admission of guilt. In her letter to Sir Laurie Magnus, she wrote: “ “I am clear that I have done nothing wrong… However, for the avoidance of doubt, I would like you to independently establish the facts about these matters.”
Sir Laurie Magnus advised that while it was not to be taken as a breach of the ministerial code, Siddiq had “inadvertently misled” the public about a flat gifted by an ally of her aunt.
Sheikh Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was known as the “founding father of Bangladesh”. He led the country, previously known as East Pakistan, to independence from Pakistan in 1971. This came after a brutal and bloody struggle that is often referred to as the “Bangladeshi genocide” in which 3 million Bangladeshis were killed and a further 10 million displaced (some 200,000 Bangladeshi women were reported to have been raped by the Pakistani military).
Rahman became president of the first provisional government of Bangladesh and was elected by a large majority in 1973. He, his wife, three sons and other family members were assassinated in a military coup on August 15, 1975, amid allegations of corruption and the torture of political opponents. Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana were overseas at the time and survived the massacre.
When she returned to Bangladesh in 1981, Sheikh Hasina took charge of the political organisation, the Awami League. She eventually came to power in 1996. Initially seen as a democratic figurehead, Hasina’s image quickly changed amid accusations she was using her position to enrich herself and her family. Among other measures, now considered by critics to be abuses of power, Hasina’s government passed a series of controversial laws granting state security and housing to all her family members.
In 2001, under the Father of the Nation’s Family Security Act, she was effectively given the Ganabhaban, the official prime minister’s residence in the capital Dhaka, reportedly for a token price. Her sister Sheikh Rehana was also granted a house in the affluent Dhanmondi neighbourhood.
Her government also allegedly approved large financial grants, covered all educational expenses both at home and abroad, and provided a monthly allowance for each child until they reached the age of 25. This accumulation of properties and privileges reportedly continued until Hasina fled to India in 2024 amid mass protests.
Allegations of corruption
Sheikh Hasina has been credited with significant economic progress during her tenure from 2009 to 2024. But recent revelations from a white paper published in December by the Bangladeshi government suggest that this progress was largely fabricated. The report alleges that key economic indicators were manipulated, and billions of dollars were siphoned off by Hasina’s associates and cronies to overseas accounts.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, has demanded the return of what he has referred to as stolen assets and called for Sheikh Hasina and others to be held to account. Hasina has denied any wrongdoing in connection to Yunus’s claims.
Human Rights Watch, a New York-based NGO, has documented extensive human rights abuses during Hasina’s regime, adding to the charges against her family. Hasina has denied the NGO’s allegations.
Political flyers and luxury items linked to Siddiq were reportedly discovered in Hasina’s official residence in Dhaka, which was ransacked following her ousting. Moreover, Siddiq’s alleged involvement in the Ruppur nuclear deal — a project now under investigation for money laundering — is the subject of further concerns. She was allegedly identified as a negotiator for the US$12.65 billion (£10.36 billion) deal alongside the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
According to Bangladesh News 24, the nuclear deal, a three-way project involving investment from Bangladesh, India and Russia, resulted in the alleged embezzlement of millions of dollars of public funds. It is believed that Siddiq’s role is being examined by investigators among many other issues. She is reported to have told a UK government official that she was the victim of a “political hit job”.
The Bangladeshi government has filed a criminal case against Siddiq, alleging her involvement in corruption and embezzlement. Given the enormity of the accusations against other family members – which range from murder and enforced disappearances to financial fraud – her resignation may become the least of her concerns.
As Bangladesh pursues justice through its newly formed international tribunal, Tulip Siddiq’s resignation marks a significant turning point for her. But the continuing investigations in Bangladesh suggest this is only the beginning of a long and complex legal battle.
Shahzad Uddin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
