Tulip calls graft trial against her a ‘farce’ motivated by ‘political vendetta’

Former British minister Tulip Siddiq has dismissed the corruption trials against her in Bangladesh as a "farce" motivated by "political vendetta".

Tulip, who is being tried in her absence, accused the authorities concerned in Dhaka of "peddling false and vexatious allegations" and said the case was "built on fabricated accusations", the report said.

Tulip, her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the now deposed prime minister of Bangladesh, mother Sheikh Rehana, brother Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, and sister Azmina Siddiq are facing multiple corruption charges over alleged irregularities in the allocation of Purbachal New Town plots.

Hasina fled the country after she was ousted following an uprising on August 5 last year.

As the trial began in Bangladesh yesterday, Tulip launched a fresh attack on the interim government led by Prof Muhammad Yunus, and the legal proceedings.

"The so-called trial now underway in Dhaka is nothing more than a farce -- built on fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta," she posted on X at 6:00pm yesterday [UK Time].

"Over the past year, the allegations against me have repeatedly shifted, yet I have never been contacted by the Bangladeshi authorities once," she wrote.

She further posted, "I have never received a court summons, no official communication, and no evidence."

"If this were a genuine legal process, the authorities would have engaged with me or my legal team, responded to our formal correspondence, and presented the evidence they claim to hold," she said.

Instead, they have peddled false and vexatious allegations that have been briefed to the media but never formally put to me by investigators, she added.

"Even my offer to meet Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus during his recent visit to London was refused. Such conduct is wholly incompatible with the principles of a fair trial that we uphold in the UK," she wrote on her post.

"I have been clear from the outset that I have done nothing wrong and will respond to any credible evidence that is presented to me. Continuing to smear my name to score political points is both baseless and damaging," she continued.

On the first day of the trial, it was claimed Tulip had "exerted pressure and influence" on Hasina to illegally hand land to her mother and siblings.

Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lodged six cases between January 12 and 14 with its Dhaka Integrated District Office-1 over the alleged scam.

Yesterday, a Dhaka court began trials of the three corruption cases, recording depositions from the complainants.

According to the ACC, Hasina, in collusion with senior Rajuk officials, unlawfully obtained six 10-katha plots in Purbachal's Sector 27 diplomatic zone for herself, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, sister Rehana, and Rehana's children Bobby and Azmina.

The ACC also alleged that Tulip, though she did not receive a plot, used her influence to secure plots for Rehana, Bobby, and Azmina.