LONDON:
UK Minister for Financial Services and Anti-Corruption Tulip Siddique has resigned following an investigation into her financial dealings with former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to a report by the foreign news agency Reuters, 42-year-old Tulip Siddique, a close relative of Sheikh Hasina Wajid, has consistently denied the allegations that she did nothing wrong.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said last week that he had full confidence in his minister.
Tulip Siddique said in a letter to the Prime Minister that she was resigning because there was a risk that her position would distract attention from the government's work.
Also read: New difficulties for Sheikh Hasina and her family; The circle has tightened
This is also a major blow to the British government led by Keir Starmer, as it is the second major minister to resign in just two months after the Labour Party took power in July.
The Labour government's Transport Minister, Louise Hague, resigned in late 2024 after it emerged that she had been involved in a minor criminal act before taking up a government position.
The former British minister had made an unfounded report of a stolen mobile phone, and for this reason, Louis Hague resigned from the ministry.
Tulip Siddique was given the portfolio of financial services in the new government, which includes responsibilities for measures to combat money laundering.
The British government's ethics adviser wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer that Tulip Siddique had not breached the ministerial code of conduct, but was not aware of her reputation due to her family's Bangladeshi roots.
He said the Prime Minister said that in light of this aspect, you can allow him to step down from his responsibilities.
On the other hand, the British Prime Minister immediately appointed Emma Reynolds as Minister for Financial Services, replacing Tulip Siddique.
It should be remembered that the worst public protests against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took place in 2024, and her government resorted to brutal actions, firing on protesters.
Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the government in July 2024 as a result of student and public protests and left the country for India.
Sheikh Hasina, who has ruled Bangladesh for more than a decade, is also being investigated for alleged corruption and money laundering, although she has denied these allegations.
In this regard, in December, British Minister Tulip Siddique was also included in the investigation to see if her family was also involved in transferring money from corruption from various projects in Bangladesh.
The Anti-Corruption Commission alleged that billions of dollars in corruption occurred in the $12.65 billion nuclear power plant contract.
According to the report, Tulip Siddique has been living in a house in North London with her family since 2009, which she got from Bangladeshi lawyer Musa Ghani, who represented Sheikh Hasina's government, and who submitted documents to the Companies House War Land Registry.
Earlier, he had acquired another property in London in 2004 and did not pay anything from his own pocket, however, according to a Financial Times report, its price was paid by a developer affiliated with Sheikh Hasina's political party, the Awami League.
Note = This Contact Copy Express News
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