Anti-corruption authorities in Bangladesh have issued a warrant for the arrest of a British Labour MP, it has been reported.
According to media reports, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission sought an arrest warrant for former City minister Tulip Siddiq over allegations she illegally received a 7,200 square feet plot of land in the country’s capital, Dhaka.
The allegation is said to be separate from an investigation into Ms Siddiq’s aunt, the former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, regarding a nuclear power plant deal in which the Labour MP has also been named.
Ms Siddiq resigned from her post in the Treasury earlier this year following an investigation by the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser into her links to her aunt’s regime, which was overthrown last year.
Although Sir Laurie Magnus concluded that she had not breached the Ministerial Code, he advised Sir Keir Starmer to reconsider Ms Siddiq’s responsibilities.
He said: “Given the nature of Ms Siddiq’s ministerial responsibilities, which include the promotion of the UK financial services sector and the inherent probity of its regulatory framework as a core component of the UK economy and its growth, it is regrettable that she was not more alert to the potential reputational risks – both to her and the Government – arising from her close family’s association with Bangladesh.”
But Ms Siddiq chose to resign, saying she had become “a distraction” from the Government’s agenda.
Ms Siddiq and the ACC have both been contacted for comment.
Ms Siddiq has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
