British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Bangladesh after a judge ruled she was complicit in corrupt land deals involving her aunt, the country's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The verdict, delivered in absentia on Monday, found Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead and Highgate, guilty of misusing her 'special influence' as a British politician to coerce Hasina into allocating valuable land plots to her mother, brother, and sister. Siddiq's mother, Sheikh Rehana, was also sentenced to seven years in prison, identified as a prime participant in the case.

Siddiq vehemently denies the charges, calling the trial a 'flawed and farcical' 'kangaroo court' and a politically motivated attack linked to her aunt's ousting. She asserted that she has not held a Bangladeshi passport since childhood and has never paid taxes there, despite being tried as a Bangladeshi citizen with a passport and tax ID. Prosecutors, led by Khan Mohammed Mainul Hasan, alleged Siddiq called, messaged, and personally visited Dhaka to secure land, relying on witness accounts from prime minister's residence officials rather than presenting direct evidence of communications.

The sentencing includes a 100,000 Bangladeshi Taka fine (approximately £620); failure to pay would add six months to her prison term. The UK does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh, making it unlikely Siddiq will serve the sentence. The Labour Party swiftly stated it does not recognise the judgment, citing Siddiq's denial of a fair legal process, including being uninformed of charges and denied access to legal representation despite repeated requests. Prominent British lawyers, including Cherie Blair KC, Robert Buckland KC, and Dominic Grieve, also voiced concerns, labelling the trial 'artificial, contrived and unfair' and highlighting that a lawyer appointed by Siddiq was allegedly threatened and placed under house arrest.

This case unfolds against the backdrop of a broader crackdown on corruption and human rights abuses following Sheikh Hasina's removal from power in a popular uprising in August 2024. An interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, was appointed with a mandate to bring Hasina and her associates to justice. Hasina, who ruled for 15 years in a regime widely criticised for authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses, has herself been convicted of crimes against humanity (resulting in a death sentence last month) and corruption (receiving a further 21-year prison sentence last week). She remains in exile in India, which has yet to respond to Bangladesh's extradition requests.

Siddiq had previously resigned as a UK Treasury minister in January amid allegations of financial ties to the Hasina regime. An inquiry by the independent watchdog on Ministerial Standards, Sir Lauri Magnus, found she had not breached any rules but noted it was 'regrettable' she wasn't more alert to the 'potential reputational risks' of her close family association with Bangladesh. While Siddiq maintains her visits to Bangladesh were personal, pictures show her with Hasina, including at a 2013 nuclear deal signing with Vladimir Putin, which she describes as a social visit. A conviction could pose political and diplomatic challenges between the UK and Bangladesh, and potentially restrict her travel to allied nations.