Bangladeshi authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the British MP and former Labour minister Tulip Siddiq.
The country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been investigating allegations Siddiq illegally received land as part of its wider probe of the regime of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who was deposed as prime minister in August.
The Hampstead and Highgate MP, who quit as economic secretary to the Treasury in January, was named in the arrest warrant alongside more than 50 others.
Lawyers acting for Siddiq denied the charges, which they said were “politically motivated”.
The ACC had not presented any evidence or informed Siddiq about an arrest warrant, the lawyers added.
The UK lists Bangladesh as a 2B extradition country – meaning clear evidence must be presented before ministers and judges make a decision.
The ACC is examining claims Sheikh Hasina and her family embezzled up to £3.9bn from infrastructure spending in Bangladesh.
The investigation is based on a series of allegations made by Bobby Hajjaj, a political opponent of Hasina.
Court documents seen by the BBC show Hajjaj has accused Siddiq of helping to broker a deal with Russia in 2013 that overinflated the price of a new nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.
In a statement seen by the BBC, Siddiq’s lawyers Stephenson Harwood said: “The allegations are completely false and have been dealt with in writing by Siddiq’s lawyers.
Credit: bbc.com
