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Wednesday, February 19, 2025
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UK minister resigns amid corruption allegations

By Chidera Oma

British Treasury Minister, Tulip Siddiq, has stepped down amid allegations of corruption leveled against her family during the aunts tenure as Bangladesh prime minister.

The resignation comes weeks after she was questioned over her financial connections to her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as the Asian country head of state last year.

Siddiq, whose ministerial role included tackling corruption in UK financial markets, was named last month in an investigation into claims her family embezzled up to £3.9bn from infrastructure spending in Bangladesh.

The minister was also accused of owning three mansions in the UK, including a £2.1 million house in Finchley, north London, which is currently rented by her and owned by a businessman with ties to her aunt’s Awami League party.

In a resignation letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Siddiq maintained that she had acted with transparency and followed official advice on declaring her interests. However, she acknowledged that continuing in her role would be a distraction from the government’s work and decided to resign to prioritize the Labour Government’s program of national renewal.

According to her, “As you know, having conducted an in-depth review of the matter at my request, Sir Laurie has confirmed that I have not breached the Ministerial Code. As he notes, there is no evidence to suggest that I have acted improperly about the properties I have owned or lived in, nor to suggest that any of my assets ‘derive from anything other than legitimate means’.

“My family connections are a matter of public record, and when I became a Minister I provided the full details of my relationships and private interests to the Government. After extensive consultation with officials, I was advised to state in my declaration of interest that my aunt is the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and to recuse myself from matters relating to Bangladesh to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest. I want to assure you that I acted and have continued to act with full transparency and on the advice of officials on these matters.

“However, it is clear that continuing in my role as Economic Secretary to the Treasury is likely to be a distraction from the work of the Government. My loyalty is and always will be to this Labour Government and the programme of national renewal and transformation it has embarked upon. I have therefore decided to resign from my Ministerial position.

The 42-year-old Siddiq, who is the niece to the run away Bangladesh former leaser, had been under investigation by the anti-corruption commission for alleged financial irregularities.

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