Britain’s anti-corruption minister defers to ethics watchdog over links to ousted Bangladeshi prime minister

LONDON — A British Treasury minister has spoken to the British government’s ethics watchdog following reports she was living in London properties linked to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Prime Minister of the Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that Economic Secretary to the Treasury Tulip Siddiq “acted absolutely correctly” in referring to his independent adviser on ministerial standards.

Siddiq, head of the fight against corruption in financial markets, was named last month in connection with an anti-corruption probe in Bangladesh against Hasina. The investigation alleges that Siddiq’s family was involved in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, under which large sums of money were allegedly embezzled.

The minister faced fresh questions over her links to her aunt’s regime after reports in the Sunday Times and Financial Times newspapers claimed she had used two London apartments given to her by associates of the Bangladesh Awami League, led by Hasina.

Hasina was Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister and led 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 more injured. Hasina, who fled to India, faces numerous legal proceedings following these deaths, including for crimes against humanity.

Siddiq, 42, claims she did nothing wrong in his letter to the ministerial standards watchdog, adding: “For the avoidance of doubt, I would like you to independently establish the facts about these questions. »

Starmer said he had confidence in Siddiq, 42, who was elected as a north London MP in 2015. She was due to join a British government delegation to China later this week, but will now remain in Britain.