The UK’s anti-corruption minister, Tulip Siddiq, has resigned from the government after being named in several corruption investigations in Bangladesh. The allegations extend to several close family members, including Siddiq’s aunt – the deposed Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina – and mother, Sheikh Rehana. Hasina faces serious criminal charges after her government was ousted amid widespread political unrest.
Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the wake of massive protests and political turmoil that brought an end to her 15-year rule. Her government is accused of a range of authoritarian practices, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
There are also allegations of financial mismanagement on a large scale. Reports indicate that more than 1,500 people were killed and thousands more injured during violent clashes in July and August 2024 that surrounded her fall from power.
