Dhaka Court Sentences UK MP Tulip Siddiq to 2 Years

A Dhaka court has sentenced British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq to two years in prison for her alleged role in a corruption case involving the illegal allocation of government land, in a ruling delivered in absentia on Monday. Siddiq, who represents the Hampstead and Highgate constituency in London, was accused of using her influence as a family member of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to secure plots in a state development project near the capital.

The case centers on irregularities in the Purbachal New Town project, a government initiative to develop housing in a suburb of Dhaka. Prosecutors from Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission charged that Siddiq pressured Hasina, her aunt, to allocate prime real estate to family members, including Siddiq's mother, Sheikh Rehana, despite their ineligibility under allocation rules. The court found Siddiq guilty of abusing her position as a British parliamentarian and her familial ties to facilitate the deals. Evidence presented included correspondence between Siddiq and Hasina's principal secretary, Salahuddin Ahmed, via encrypted apps and in-person meetings in Dhaka.

In the same ruling, Hasina received a five-year prison...