Tulip Siddiq, Sheikh Hasina's niece and the UK's City Minister and Economic Secretary to the Treasury, received a two-bedroom apartment in central London as a gift from an individual linked to the recently ousted Bangladeshi government, reports the Financial Times.
According to the UK-based news organisation, the property near King's Cross, was transferred to Tulip in 2004 for free. Land Registry records, reviewed by the Financial Times, reveal that the property was purchased in January 2001 for £195,000. A neighbouring flat in the same building sold for £650,000 (around Tk 9.8 crore) in August 2023.
Tulip's mother, Sheikh Rehana, Hasina's younger sister, had been dubbed as the heir apparent after Sheikh Hasina. Rehana is reported to be the only other politician who fled Bangladesh with Hasina on August 5, 2024 faced with a public uprising. Tulip's brother, Radwan Mujib, was also closely involved with Awami League, and acted as a spokesperson of sorts during visits of foreign dignitaries to Bangladesh.
The donor, Abdul Motalif, is a developer and an associate of figures linked to Tulip Siddiq's aunt, Sheikh Hasina, former prime minister of Bangladesh and leader of the Awami League party. Sheikh Hasina's government was ousted on August 5 last year.
"Any suggestion that Tulip Siddiq's ownership of this property, or any other property is in any way linked to support for the Awami League, would be categorically wrong," a spokesperson for the minister said.
Abdul Motalif confirmed to the Financial Times in a phone call that he bought the King's Cross property but declined to comment on what he did with it. "Following financial support provided by Tulip's parents to an acquaintance during a challenging time in his life, he subsequently transferred a property he then owned into Tulip's ownership as an act of gratitude for her parents' support," said a person familiar with the matter.
Electoral roll data cited by the Financial Times shows that Siddiq lived in the property during the early 2000s, and her siblings resided there for several years afterward. Tulip has declared rental income from two properties, including the King's Cross flat, in her parliamentary financial interests.
The Financial Times report added that the timing of the gift has drawn scrutiny due to Tulip Siddiq's ties to the Awami League, whose members face multiple corruption allegations. Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission launched an inquiry recently after a political rival of Sheikh Hasina accused her family, including Tulip Siddiq, of receiving funds from a Russia-backed nuclear power project. Both Tulip Siddiq and Sheikh Hasina deny these allegations.
The report further highlights that Abdul Motalif, now 70, resides in south-east London. Electoral roll data shows that he previously allowed Moin Ghani, a lawyer who later represented the Awami League government, to live in the King's Cross flat. Additionally, he shared a south-east London address with Mojibul Islam, the son of a former Awami League MP, from 2014 to 2024. Both Motalif and Mojibul confirmed that they were registered at the address.
The flat's transfer occurred before Tulip Siddiq became an MP in 2015, meaning she was not obligated to disclose it at the time. Records indicate that in 2018, Tulip Siddiq extended the lease on the property for £90,000. The Financial Times also reports that Siddiq and her husband jointly purchased another flat in her Hampstead and Highgate constituency for £865,000, which is now mortgage-free.
Tulip Siddiq faced a reprimand from the parliamentary standards commissioner last year for failing to declare rental income on the Hampstead flat. Meanwhile, since 2022, Tulip Siddiq has been living in a £2.1 million London home owned by Abdul Karim, an executive member of the UK Awami League. The Financial Times report mentioned that Tulip Siddiq pays market rates for the property and has declared her relationship with Abdul Karim to parliamentary authorities.
Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League have been accused of corruption, rigging elections, and suppressing dissent, with rival parties and human rights groups calling her government authoritarian. In contrast, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has expressed confidence in Tulip Siddiq, with Downing Street stating last month that it had seen no evidence of wrongdoing on her part.
The Financial Times report also points out Tulip Siddiq's past involvement with the Awami League, including her work within its EU and UK lobbying unit and election strategy team. UK-based affiliates of the Awami League campaigned alongside Tulip during several British general elections, including the 2022 vote that brought the Labour Party to power.
"Had it not been for your help, I would never have been able to stand here as a British MP," Tulip Siddiq said at a 2015 London event honouring Sheikh Hasina, as quoted by the Financial Times.
BDST: 1154 HRS, JAN 04, 2024
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