Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her family are once again at the centre of a major corruption scandal that has triggered investigations in both Bangladesh and the UK.
The allegations include large-scale land grabbing in Dhaka and the embezzlement of billions linked to a Russian-funded nuclear project.
The anti-corruption commission (ACC) in Bangladesh has filed cases against Hasina, 77, who fled to India after being overthrown in a student-led revolution last August. ACC chief Akhter Hossain accused Hasina and her family of allocating lucrative land plots for personal gain. Among those implicated are her niece, Tulip Siddiq, a British government minister, and her daughter, Saima Wazed, a senior UN official. Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and sister, Sheikh Rehana, are also named in the case.
ACC investigations revealed that Hasina’s government misused its power, allegedly funnelling $5 billion connected to the Russian-backed $12.65 billion Rooppur nuclear power plant. Interim Bangladeshi leader Muhammad Yunus has demanded a full probe, calling it “plain robbery” from the national treasury.
The scandal has also gained attention in the UK, where Siddiq faces increasing pressure to step down as the country’s anti-corruption minister. A Sunday Times investigation revealed that Siddiq lived in properties in London linked to Hasina’s government and associates of the Awami League. One of these flats was reportedly bought by an offshore company connected to Bangladeshi businessmen and later gifted to a barrister with ties to Hasina.
Siddiq referred herself to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s standards adviser earlier this month, insisting she has “done nothing wrong.” Senior minister Pat McFadden defended her decision, saying, “That is the right way to deal with this.” However, opposition figures disagree. Conservative finance spokesperson Mel Stride said, “It’s inappropriate for Tulip to be in the position that she holds at the moment.”
As Siddiq represents a north London constituency and oversees UK financial services, her alleged connections to her aunt’s government have raised serious ethical questions. Bangladeshi investigators have requested bank transaction records linked to Siddiq as part of their ongoing probe.
