Former British minister says Bangladesh arrest warrant is ‘politically motivated smear’

LONDON/DHAKA: The former British minister Tulip Siddiq said on Tuesday an arrest warrant issued against her in Bangladesh over allegations she illegally received a plot of land are a “politically motivated smear”.

A court in Dhaka on Sunday issued a warrant for 53 people, including Siddiq, accusing her of receiving the land when her aunt Sheikh Hasina was prime minister of Bangladesh.

“It’s a completely politically motivated smear campaign, trying to harass me. There is no evidence that I’ve done anything wrong,” Siddiq told reporters. “No one from the Bangladeshi authorities has contacted me. The entire time, they’ve done trial by media.”

Aminul Islam, the assistant director of Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission’s Prosecution Division, told reporters on Sunday that the court has asked for a report on the arrests by April 27.

Siddiq resigned as the minister responsible for financial services and fighting corruption in January after weeks of questions over her financial ties to her aunt, saying the focus on her risked diverting attention from the government’s political agenda.

She is the niece of Hasina who resigned last year after 15 years in power and fled the country following protests against her rule. Hasina is being investigated in Bangladesh on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. Hasina and her party deny wrongdoing. Britain does not currently have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh.