Tulip Siddiq in UK headlines over ACC inquiry into embezzlement

Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) inquiry into Labour Minister Tulip Siddiq, also the niece of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has started making headlines in the United Kingdom. 

Reports on the inquiry into allegations of Tk80,000 crore embezzlement by Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, also mother of Tulip, and other members of their families from different development projects broke in Bangladesh on 17 December.

Of the amount, Tk59,000 crore has been reportedly embezzled from the Russia-backed Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project.

This morning, The Telegraph ran a report on the matter headlined "Labour MP faces being caught up in Bangladeshi embezzlement investigation". 

The Daily Mail also ran a report titled "Keir Starmer's corruption minister and her family are probed over claims they took £4 billion in bribes for Putin-funded nuclear power plant".

The BBC also ran a report today with the headline "Minister named in Bangladesh corruption probe."

Tulip Siddiq, who as the Treasury's economic secretary, is responsible for tackling corruption in UK financial markets, is alleged to have brokered a deal with Russia in 2013 for a new nuclear power plant in Bangladesh that saw £1bn siphoned off into private hands.

This allegation surfaced in the ACC inquiry.

The BBC, alongside other media, approached Tulip for comments, but the Labour Party has so far declined to comment on the matter.

The pro is based on a series of allegations made by Bobby Hajjaj, a senior political opponent of Hasina, the BBC report said.

Since fleeing the country, Hasina has been accused of multiple crimes by the new Bangladeshi government.

She is wanted by Bangladesh's International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) for her alleged involvement in "crimes against humanity" that took place during the demonstrations, in which hundreds were killed.

Syed Faruk, who runs the UK branch of Hasina's Awami League party, told the BBC that the claims were "fabricated".

Siddiq was elected MP for Hampstead and Highgate in 2015, the north London constituency neighbouring Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's seat of Holborn and St Pancras.

Court documents seen by the BBC show Hajjaj accused Siddiq of mediating and coordinating meetings for the Bangladeshi officials with the Russian government to build the £10bn Rooppur Power Plant Project.

It is claimed that the deal inflated the price of the plant by £1bn, according to the documents - 30% of which was allegedly distributed to Siddiq and other family members via a complex network of banks and overseas companies, the BBC reports. 

In total, Hajjaj alleges £3.9bn was siphoned out of the project by Hasina's family and minister.

An Associated Press video shows Tulip attending the deal's signing by Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.