Siddiq denies wrongdoing as reports say Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant

Tulip Siddiq has denied wrongdoing following reports Bangladeshi authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest in connection with corruption allegations.

In a statement, Ms Siddiq’s lawyers said the Labour MP and former City minister had no knowledge of any warrant being issued, and described the claims against her as “politically motivated”.

According to media reports, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had sought an arrest warrant on Sunday over allegations Ms Siddiq illegally received a 7,200 square feet plot of land in the country’s capital, Dhaka.

The allegation is said to be separate from an investigation into Ms Siddiq’s aunt, the former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, regarding a nuclear power plant deal in which the Labour MP has also been named.

Ms Siddiq’s lawyers said: “The ACC has made various allegations against Ms Siddiq through the media in the last few months. The allegations are completely false and have been dealt with in writing by Ms Siddiq’s lawyers.

“The ACC has not responded to Ms Siddiq or put any allegations to her directly or through her lawyers. Ms Siddiq knows nothing about a hearing in Dhaka relating to her and she has no knowledge of any arrest warrant that is said to have been issued.

“To be clear, there is no basis at all for any charges to be made against her, and there is absolutely no truth in any allegation that she received a plot of land in Dhaka through illegal means.

“She has never had a plot of land in Bangladesh, and she has never influenced any allocation of plots of land to her family members or anyone else.

“No evidence has been provided by the ACC to support this or any other allegation made against Ms Siddiq, and it is clear to us that the charges are politically motivated.”

Ms Siddiq resigned from her post in the Treasury earlier this year following an investigation by the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser into her links to her aunt’s regime, which was overthrown last year.

Although Sir Laurie Magnus concluded that she had not breached the Ministerial Code, he advised Sir Keir Starmer to reconsider Ms Siddiq’s responsibilities.

He said: “Given the nature of Ms Siddiq’s ministerial responsibilities, which include the promotion of the UK financial services sector and the inherent probity of its regulatory framework as a core component of the UK economy and its growth, it is regrettable that she was not more alert to the potential reputational risks – both to her and the Government – arising from her close family’s association with Bangladesh.”

But Ms Siddiq chose to resign, saying she had become “a distraction” from the Government’s agenda.

A Conservative Party spokesman said Ms Siddiq “should immediately stand down as a Labour MP” if she is the subject of an arrest warrant in Bangladesh.

The ACC has been contacted for comment.