Officials from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) secretly visited Dhaka to gather information about former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s niece and former UK City Minister Tulip Siddiq.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, these officials held a secret meeting with Bangladesh’s anti-corruption investigators.
According to the report, UK detectives had a meeting with Bangladeshi officials last month. Bangladeshi officials informed them that they had managed to gather new evidence of corruption against Tulip Siddiq.
The report further states that British authorities may look into Ms Siddiq's bank accounts and email records. They may even summon her for an interview.
In addition to Tulip Siddiq and Sheikh Hasina, their entire family has been accused of embezzling funds from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project in Pabna. Sheikh Hasina signed this agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013, and Tulip Siddiq was also present at the time. It is alleged that Tulip played a mediating role in the embezzlement.
Detectives from the NCA were informed at last month's meeting that Bangladeshi authorities had amassed new evidence against the Labour MP over the Rooppur nuclear power plant deal.
If proven guilty, Tulip may face jail-time for over 10 years.
A Bangladeshi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that it was the UK’s NCA officials who proposed the secret meeting. The British High Commission in Dhaka then arranged it.
Previously, NCA officials had also visited Bangladesh in October last year. At that time, they had assured Bangladeshi authorities that they would assist in recovering laundered money that had been illegally transferred out of the country.
bd-pratidin/Rafid
