UK lawmaker Siddiq calls Bangladeshi prison sentence 'flawed and farcical'

The Star

British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq has condemned a Bangladeshi court’s in-absentia ruling sentencing her to two years in prison as “flawed and farcical.”   The verdict is linked to a corruption case involving the alleged illegal allocation of land. Siddiq, niece of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned earlier this year as Britain’s minister for financial services amid scrutiny over her ties to Hasina. Hasina and Siddiq’s mother, Rehana, were also sentenced in absentia to five and seven years, respectively. Britain does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh.    Siddiq, the niece of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned as Britain's minister responsible for financial services and anti-corruption efforts in January after scrutiny over her financial ties to Hasina but she remains a member of parliament.  Read more at https://tinyurl.com/p4ueymfb  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00British lawmaker Tulip Siddique has called a Bangladeshi court's decision to sentence

00:07her in absentia to two years in prison, flawed and farcical, saying the verdict should be

00:12treated with contempt.

00:14Speaking to Britain's Guardian on Monday, Siddique described the process as a kangaroo

00:19court that is as predictable as it is unjustified.

00:23Siddique, niece of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned as Britain's

00:28minister responsible for financial services and anti-corruption in January, amid scrutiny

00:34over her financial ties to Hasina, even though she remains a member of parliament, she has

00:39previously dismissed the allegations as a politically-motivated smear.

00:44The DACA court also sentenced Hasina to five years, and Siddique's mother, Rahana, to seven

00:49years in prison in connection with a corruption case involving the alleged illegal allocation

00:54of a plot of land.

00:56Each was fined 100,000 DACA, or approximately 3,400 ringgit, with failure to pay resulting

01:03in an additional six months in prison.

01:06Britain does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh.

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