The Guardian called the ruling against Tulip a ‘political vendetta’ and ‘artificial, planned and unreasonable’

Staff Correspondent
London, 2 December 2025: A Bangladeshi court has recently sentenced UK Labour Party MP Tulip Siddique to two years in prison. The verdict was published in her absence, as part of a corruption case against Tulip Siddique, the niece of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The British newspaper ‘The Guardian’ has characterized this incident as ‘political vendetta’ and ‘mistrial’, a shining example of the current political unrest in Bangladesh.

Tulip Siddique, who is the MP for Hampstead and Highgate and was most recently the UK’s City Minister, is accused of corruptly acquiring land in Dhaka’s Purbachal area during the tenure of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, according to a report in The Guardian. A three-judge bench of the court found Siddique guilty on the charges.

But according to the Guardian, the trial was “artificial, contrived and illogical.” The prosecution had demanded the death penalty for land corruption, but the court sentenced him to two years in prison.

Siddique himself dismissed the verdict as a ‘result of a kangaroo court’.

“This entire process is flawed and ridiculous from start to finish. I have not been given any details of the charges against me, and I have not been given the opportunity to hire a lawyer. This is just part of the dirty politics of Bangladesh,” he told the Guardian.

He added, “My focus is always on the people of my constituency. I hope that those who understand the standards of law and justice will view this so-called ‘judgment’ with the contempt and disregard it deserves.”

Another report in The Guardian noted that a group of leading British lawyers, including former Conservative Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, wrote to the Bangladesh High Commissioner criticizing the trial as “unfair and a violation of fundamental rights.” They said Siddique was not informed of the charges and was not given the opportunity to have legal representation.

In addition, the Guardian reported that there is no extradition treaty between the UK and Bangladesh, so it is impossible to enforce Siddique’s prison sentence.

The Guardian wrote about the background to the incident, “Bangladesh’s politics have been unstable since the fall of Sheikh Hasina. Hasina fled to India after her government cracked down on student protests last year. Last month, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Hasina to death. Several members of Siddique’s family, including her mother Sheikh Rehana and siblings, are accused in the case. Hasina’s Awami League has called the trial a “political tool”.

A Labour Party secretary told the Guardian: “The Labour Party and our elected representatives attach great importance to the rule of law. Top lawyers have expressed their opinion that the process against Tulip Siddique was unfair.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer also spoke in support of Siddique. These reports by The Guardian raise questions about the transparency of Bangladesh’s judicial system and political vendettas.

Experts believe that this is a reflection of the ‘vindictive’ policies of the interim government in Bangladesh. Siddique’s case could also have an impact on UK politics, even though he has already resigned from his government post.