Interpol Alert Sought for Tulip Siddiq in Bangladesh Corruption Case

A Bangladeshi court has ordered an Interpol red notice for British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, accusing her of corruption related to a real estate project. Siddiq, facing six years of imprisonment, denies allegations and faces pressure due to her ties to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A Bangladeshi court on Thursday ruled for an Interpol red notice to be issued against Tulip Siddiq, a British lawmaker and former minister, amidst allegations of corruption connected to a real estate project in Dhaka. The decision follows a petition from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking international collaboration for Siddiq's arrest.

The ACC claims Siddiq leveraged her familial connections with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to unfairly allocate government land to a private firm. Despite these allegations, Siddiq, Hasina's niece, has consistently dismissed the claims as 'flawed and farcical.' She has also clarified her status as a British citizen, asserting that she is not a Bangladeshi national.

Previously, Bangladeshi courts sentenced Siddiq to a cumulative six years in prison across three separate corruption charges, all linked to alleged abuses during Hasina's leadership. Siddiq resigned from her role as economic secretary to the Treasury under Prime Minister Keir Starmer in January last year, maintaining her innocence despite political pressure. It is noteworthy that the UK lacks an extradition agreement with Bangladesh.

(With inputs from agencies.)