By Eniola Amadu
A court in Bangladesh has sentenced to two years in jail British MP Tulip Siddiq following a judge ruling that she was involved in corrupt land transactions with her aunt, Sheikh Hasina.
The Labour British MP for Hampstead and Highgate was found guilty by a judge for abusing her “special influence” as a British politician to force the deposed Bangladesh’s PM into giving expensive pieces of land to her mother.
The Labour MP’s mother, Sheikh Rehana was sentenced to seven years in prison and identified as the main suspect in the case.
However, Siddiq claimed that major evidence provided was forged and denied the claim.
In a chat with the Guardian UK following the court verdict, Siddiq expressed hope that it would be dismissed with the “contempt it deserves”.
“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.”
A group of senior BritishBV lawyers, including a former justice secretary, in a message to Bangladesh’s ambassador stated that the court trial was “artificial, contrived and unfair”.
The accused were barred from accessing defence counsel as a result of their absence.
Meanwhile, an attorney who attempted to represent Siddiq and others alleged she faced intimidation and was confined to her home.
