Staff Correspondent

The chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Abdul Momen has questioned why British MP Tulip Siddiq, the niece of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned from her anti-corruption ministerial post if, as she claims, she is innocent of corruption allegations.

Speaking at a press conference in Dhaka on Monday, he said several cases are ongoing against Tulip, the Labour MP for London’s Hampstead and Highgate constituency, in Bangladesh.

“If Tulip considers herself innocent, why did her lawyer send us a letter? And if she truly knows nothing, why did she resign from her ministerial position?” Momen said.

Tulip stepped down from her junior ministerial role in the UK government in January amid mounting scrutiny following the collapse of her aunt’s administration in August in the face of a student-led mass uprising.

The ACC chief said the national anti-graft agency is treating Tulip as a Bangladeshi citizen based on official records, and legal proceedings are being pursued accordingly.

“She is accused in three cases, and a fourth is in preparation,” he added.

He cited a report published earlier the same day, revealing that Tulip earned Tk 900,000 from a fish farm in Bangladesh in 2013 -- an income she declared in her tax return.

“Regardless of her claim of being a British citizen, the documentation shows she has earnings in Bangladesh. So, as per the paperwork, she is considered a Bangladeshi national,” Momen said.

“Switching between British and Bangladeshi identities as it suits her is questionable.”

Momen said Tulip had requested a meeting with Muhammad Yunus during his official visit to London, but the request was declined.

“She wanted to meet the chief advisor, but he did not agree, and he has provided a clear explanation for that.

“Under our law, an accused person cannot expect such a meeting,” he added.

According to him, the ACC has sent summons to verified addresses under Tulip’s name.

Allegations include irregularities involving a RAJUK plot and another property in Dhaka’s Gulshan neighbourhood.

“We found in her [Tulip’s] tax records that her gold holdings suddenly increased from 10 tolas to 30 tolas, but there’s no corresponding change in value,” Momen said.

He added: “If she really knows nothing, then why did she resign? Why send letters through her lawyer? If she comes to the country and needs legal assistance, we are ready to help.

“But she must face trial under our laws. That’s what we’ve conveyed to her lawyer.”

The ACC chief said the graft buster is issuing letters, summons, and warrants to Tulip, with newspaper notices to follow if needed.

Tulip had sought to meet the interim prime minister during his UK visit in hopes of clarifying what she called “a misunderstanding” surrounding the corruption investigations in Bangladesh.

The former UK City minister had extended an invitation to Yunus for lunch or

afternoon tea at the House of Commons.

In the letter, Tulip wrote: “I hope this meeting will help clear the misunderstanding with the Anti-Corruption Commission in Dhaka, which has prompted questions about me in connection with my aunt, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.”

While Yunus met House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle on Thursday, the third day of his UK trip, he did not respond to Tulip’s invitation.

The chief advisor had earlier told the Financial Times that he would not meet her.

An interim administration led by Yunus took charge after Hasina’s Awami League government was overthrown last August.

Corruption investigations have been launched against Hasina, her relatives, and