Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen has asked why Tulip Siddiq, niece of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and a British MP, stepped down as a UK minister if she was innocent.
He made the question while speaking at a press conference at the ACC head office in Dhaka on Monday. Multiple cases are ongoing against Tulip in Bangladesh, he stated.
Momen said, "If Tulip claims to be innocent, why did her lawyer write to us? And if she doesn't know anything, then why did she resign from her ministerial post?"
The ACC chairman said the British MP is considered a citizen of Bangladesh by the ACC and legal action is being taken against her accordingly.
He said, "Tulip is accused in three of our cases, and the process of filing another case is underway. Today (Monday), a newspaper reported that in 2013, she earned Tk 9 lakh from a fish farm in Bangladesh."
"No matter how much she insists she is a British national, when we examine our documents, she appears to be Bangladeshi. Depending on the situation, she claims to be British at times and Bangladeshi at others for her own convenience. You can judge whether that is appropriate. We are treating her as a Bangladeshi citizen," he said.
Momen said, "Although she wanted to meet the chief adviser, he did not grant her a meeting, and he gave a proper explanation as to why it was not done. According to the law of our country, an accused person is not entitled to such a meeting."
He said, "If she comes to the country and needs legal assistance, we are ready. But she will have to face the court under our law, and that is the message we conveyed to her lawyer."
The ACC chairman said, "We are systematically sending letters, summons, and warrants to her. If necessary, notices will also be published in newspapers."
Labour Party MP Tulip was forced to resign as a UK minister in January amid criticism over corruption allegations.
Bd-pratidin English/FNC
