London Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced to two years in prison in Bangladesh after being found guilty of corruption following a trial in her absence.
The ex-minister, who is MP for Hampstead and Highgate, was convicted of influencing her aunt, Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure a plot of land for her family in the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.
Siddiq strongly denied the charge and insisted she was the victim of a political smear.
The MP was pictured outside her north London home on Monday morning - hours after the jail sentence was handed out nearly 5,000 miles away. She was also fined the equivalent of £620.
Reacting to the verdict and sentence, the former City minister said she refuses to be “distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh”.
Ms Siddiq said in a statement: "This whole process has been flawed and farcical from the beginning to the end.
"The outcome of this kangaroo court is as predictable as it is unjustified. I hope this so-called 'verdict' will be treated with the contempt it deserves. My focus has always been my constituents in Hampstead and Highgate and I refuse to be distracted by the dirty politics of Bangladesh."
The court in Dhaka also sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison for corruption involving the government land project.
Rabiul Alam, the judge of Dhaka's Special Judge's Court, said Ms Hasina misused her power as prime minister.
Siddiq was guilty of corruptly influencing her aunt in helping her mother get a piece of land.
The Labour MP's mother, Sheikh Rehana, was given seven years in prison and was considered the prime participant in the case.
It involved the Purbachal New Town project in a suburb of Dhaka.
Hasina, who fled to neighbouring India in August 2024 at the height of an uprising against her government, was sentenced to death last month over her government’s violent crackdown on demonstrators during the protests.
Last week, she was handed a combined 21-year prison sentence in other corruption cases.
Ms Siddiq's lawyers have called the charges baseless and politically motivated.
She previously told The Guardian the charges against her were "completely absurd" and asserted she was "collateral damage" in the longstanding feud between her aunt and Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus.
The UK does not have an extradition treaty in place with Bangladesh.
The Hampstead and Highgate MP resigned from her ministerial job in the Treasury earlier this year following an investigation by the Prime Minister's ethics adviser into her links to Ms Hasina's regime, which was overthrown last year.
She came under scrutiny over her use of properties in London linked to her aunt's allies.
Although Sir Laurie Magnus concluded that Ms Siddiq had not breached the Ministerial Code, he advised Sir Keir Starmer to reconsider her responsibilities.
Ms Siddiq chose to resign, saying she had become "a distraction" from the Government's agenda.
The Government backed Ms Siddiq continuing as a Labour MP, stressing she saw the court case as a “political” rather than “legal” process.
Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, told BBC Breakfast: “This is a private matter for Tulip to talk to but my understanding is a trial took place in Bangladesh that she was not part of, she had tried to engage with questions from the Bangladeshi government but was not allowed to do so and has concluded that this is more of a political situation than a legal situation.
“She continues to deny any allegations that have been made against her.”
Pressed what she should do, he added: “She continues to deny allegations against her.
“This is a decision taken by a foreign country and a foreign court.
“I’m sure that Tulip is going to be getting on with the job of representing her constituents in Parliament.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party and all our elected representatives take the rule of law incredibly seriously and will always fulfil our legal responsibilities.
“As has been reported, highly regarded senior legal professionals have highlighted that Tulip Siddiq has not had access to a fair legal process in this case and has never been informed of the details of the charges against her.
“This is despite repeated requests made to the Bangladeshi authorities through her legal team.
“Anyone facing any charge should always be afforded the right to make legal representations when allegations are made against them.
“Given that has not happened in this case, we cannot recognise this judgment.”
