Why Tulip Siddiq Was Sentenced Despite Not Receiving a Plot

Although none of the six disputed Purbachal plots were allotted in Tulip Siddiq’s name, she still ended up facing charges in three separate cases—and has now been sentenced in one of them.

On Monday, Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-4 delivered a verdict sentencing the British MP to two years in prison along with a fine of 100,000 taka. Failure to pay would mean an additional six months behind bars.

The court stated that Tulip used her political influence to secure a 10-katha plot in the name of her mother, Sheikh Rehana, under the Purbachal New Town Project run by RAJUK. She was convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act (1947) Section 5(2) and Penal Code Section 109, with the judgment citing witness testimony that she contacted the Prime Minister’s principal secretary—using phone calls, messaging apps, and direct communication—to exert pressure.

During Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as prime minister, six family members received plots in Purbachal: Sheikh Hasina herself, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed, sister Sheikh Rehana, and two nieces/nephews Azmira Siddiq Ruponti and Radwan Mujib Siddiq. They received the allotments in 2022.

After the political upheaval in July last year removed Sheikh Hasina from power, the Anti-Corruption Commission launched an inquiry into alleged irregularities in these allotments. In January, six separate cases were filed—one for each plot—alleging that the family received them after the application deadline and despite owning property within RAJUK’s jurisdiction, which legally disqualifies applicants from receiving new plots.

Sheikh Hasina was named an accused in all six cases, the ACC arguing she used her position as prime minister to influence the allocations. Tulip Siddiq was included as an accused in three cases concerning plots allotted to Sheikh Rehana, Radwan, and Azmira.

In the case concerning Sheikh Rehana’s plot, investigators claimed Tulip learned that her aunt (Sheikh Hasina) and cousins Joy and Saima had received plots, and then used her status as a British MP to push for similar benefits for her own mother, sister, and brother.

Verdicts have already been delivered in the cases involving Sheikh Hasina, Sajeeb Wazed, and Saima Wazed. Sheikh Rehana’s case was decided today. Judgments in Radwan’s and Azmira’s cases are still pending, and both Tulip and Sheikh Hasina are co-accused there as well.

This marks the first time a Bangladeshi court has sentenced a foreign lawmaker, and the ruling was delivered in Tulip Siddiq’s absence.

Since the fall of the previous government, Tulip has also faced scrutiny in the UK over alleged financial and property-related misconduct, some reportedly linked to Awami League figures. After being appointed City Minister following the Labour Party’s election victory last year, she resigned when corruption allegations surfaced.

Now 43, Tulip denies all accusations, calling them politically motivated. She lives in London with her family and has represented Hampstead & Highgate in the UK Parliament since 2015, currently serving her fourth term.