Bangladesh Yunus declines to meet Tulip Siddiq

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus has refused to meet Labour MP Tulip Siddiq to discuss corruption allegations against her during his visit to London.

Yunus told the BBC the allegations were a “court matter” and said he had confidence in Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which is investigating Siddiq.The ACC has accused Siddiq of illegally receiving land from the regime of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as Bangladesh’s prime minister last year.

In a letter, Siddiq requested a meeting with Yunus, a Nobel-prize winning economist who has led an interim government in Bangladesh since a student-led protest movement toppled Hasina from power.

Siddiq said a meeting “might also help clear up the misunderstanding perpetuated by the Anti-Corruption Commission in Dhaka”.In an interview with the BBC, Yunus was asked whether he would meet Siddiq during his four-day visit to the UK this week.“No I’m not because it’s a legal procedure,” Yunus said. “I don’t want to interrupt a legal procedure. Let the procedure continue.”