Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant for Hasina's niece Tulip Siddiq

A range of charges relate to corruption has been brought against Tulip Siddiq and other family members of Sheikh Hasina

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A court in Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for British lawmaker and former UK government minister Tulip Siddiq, in connection with a wide-ranging anti-corruption investigation targeting members of the country’s former ruling family, Dhaka-based newspaper Prothom Alo reported on Sunday.

 

Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain of the Dhaka Metropolitan Court ordered the arrest of Siddiq and 52 others after accepting charge sheets in three separate corruption cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission. Siddiq’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, brother Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, and Hasina herself have all been implicated.

 

What are the allegations against Tulip Siddiq?

The allegations relate to the illegal allotment of land plots in Purbachal, a sprawling state-owned township project outside the capital. 

According to the Anti-Corruption Commission, the former prime minister and her relatives were granted multiple 10-katha plots (collectively amounting to over 60 kathas) through irregular means in violation of allocation norms set by RAJUK, the capital’s development authority. The cases allege forgery, favouritism, and misuse of office in facilitating the deals.

 

This is not the first such warrant issued in recent days. On April 10, the court ordered the arrest of Sheikh Hasina and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul in a separate plot allocation case. Sunday’s warrants are linked to three new cases, with the court stating that the accused are currently absconding.

 

Tulip Siddiq steps down as MP, denies charges

Siddiq, 42, stepped down from her government role in the UK in January, shortly after she was implicated in an earlier anti-corruption probe in Bangladesh. That investigation alleged her family’s involvement in brokering a controversial 2013 nuclear power deal with Russia, which allegedly saw large-scale embezzlement.

 

At the time, Siddiq denied wrongdoing, stating she had been cleared but chose to resign as the matter had become a distraction.

 

Siddiq’s lawyers have called the charges politically motivated and baseless, echoing the position of the Bangladesh Awami League, which has accused the current administration of using the judiciary to settle political scores. The party maintains that the charges aim to discredit the legacy of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and dismantle the political influence of his descendants.

 

Over 300 cases registered against Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted from power on August 5, 2024, following a massive student-led uprising, has been living in exile in India. Since her fall from power, over 300 cases have reportedly been filed against her in Dhaka alone, covering allegations ranging from corruption to murder during crackdowns on protests.

 

In the chaos that followed Hasina’s ouster, the home of Siddiq’s mother in Dhaka’s elite Gulshan neighbourhood was reportedly looted and vandalised. No official police complaint has yet been filed in connection with the incident.

 

Hasina has accused the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, of tacitly encouraging mob violence against her supporters. The interim administration, however, insists it is working to stabilise the country amid continued unrest.

 

For now, Tulip Siddiq has not responded publicly to the latest arrest warrant. The UK Foreign Office has also not issued a statement.