U.K.'s anti-corruption minister refers herself to ethics watchdog over links to ousted Bangladeshi PM
A British Treasury minister has referred herself to the U.K. government’s ethics watchdog over links to ousted Bangladeshi PM
LONDON — A British Treasury minister has referred herself to the U.K. government’s ethics watchdog following reports that she lived in London properties linked to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Bangladeshi prime minister.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that Treasury economic secretary Tulip Siddiq “acted entirely properly” by referring herself to his independent adviser on ministerial standards.
Siddiq, who is responsible for tackling corruption in financial markets, was named last month in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh against Hasina. The investigation alleged that Siddiq’s family was involved in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh in which large sums of money were said to have been embezzled.
The minister faced further questions about her links to her aunt’s regime after reports in the Sunday Times and Financial Times newspapers alleged she had used two London apartments given to her by associates of Bangladesh’s Awami League, led by Hasina.
Hasina was Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister and ruled the country for 15 years until August 2024, when she was ousted amid a mass uprising in which hundreds of protesters were killed and thousands were injured. Hasina, who has fled to India, faces many court cases over the deaths, including some on charges of crimes against humanity.
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