Politics

Tulip lived in flat gifted by Hasina ally

Reports The Sunday Times

UK's Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq, responsible for tackling financial crime, lived in a Hampstead flat gifted to her family by an ally of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the recently ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, reports UK-based newspaper The Sunday Times.

The development came as Tory MPs renewed the pressure on the MP from Hampstead and Highgate to quit after allegations emerged that she had lied about receiving a London flat as a gift. 

The Sunday Times found that Moin Ghani, a Bangladeshi lawyer who represented Hasina's government, transferred the property on Finchley Road to Tulip's younger sister, Azmina, in 2009. Land Registry documents show the transfer was made "not for money or anything that has a monetary value."

Azmina, who was 18 in 2009, sold the flat in 2021 for $650,000.

Tulip used the property as her address on official documents during her time as a director of the Working Men's College and a trustee of various non-profits between 2012 and 2014. Her husband, Christian Percy, also listed the flat as his address until 2016. By then, Tulip had become the Labour MP for Hampstead & Kilburn, reported The Sunday Times.

Tulip's spokesperson told The Sunday Times that she lived in her sister's flat for a period, adding that such arrangements are common among family members and that the political affiliations of others have "nothing" to do with Tulip.

Tulip herself has also denied any wrongdoing and described allegations against her as politically motivated.

She remains a close ally of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has expressed confidence in her integrity.

CALL FOR RESIGNATION GROWS

The disclosures have drawn fresh scrutiny on Tulip's ties to Hasina's government, which was ousted last year amid allegations of corruption, human rights abuses, and the deaths of hundreds of protesters.

The Hampstead flat is one of several properties linked to Tulip's family and Awami League members.

Meanwhile, a recent Financial Times report has triggered a new storm in the UK, with opposition Conservative MPs calling for Tulip to resign, reports The Daily Mail.

The report said the MP had lied about receiving a flat at King's Cross, now worth £700,000, as a gift.

The Mail on Sunday repeatedly asked Tulip if she was given the two-bedroom apartment, previously owned by a property developer connected to Sheikh Hasina.

She has denied it was a gift, insisting that her parents had bought it for her. She also threatened the Mail on Sunday with legal action.

However, The Daily Mail on Saturday quoting Labour sources reported that the flat was indeed given to her by the developer as an "act of gratitude".

On Saturday, Tory MPs demanded she stands down as Treasury minister unless she explains herself.

Bob Blackman, the Tory MP for Harrow East, said: "Ms Siddiq needs to clarify the position in relation to her property dealings and explain what was stated originally and why. If she does not, her position as a minister is untenable."

Matt Vickers MP, shadow home office minister, added: "Allegations of this nature against any member of government are unacceptable, but are even more questionable when the minister is Starmer's anti-corruption minister."

And Ben Obese-Jecty, the Tory MP for Huntingdon, said: "This new information about Tulip Siddiq is troubling.

"Now that it has been shown the flat was gifted to her and not purchased by her as previously claimed, Tulip Siddiq has further questions to answer."

The Financial reported that the flat was gifted to Tulip in 2004 by Abdul Motalif, an associate of senior Awami League members.

Abdul Motalif confirmed to the Financial Times in a phone call that he bought the King's Cross property but declined to comment on what he did with it.

"Following financial support provided by Tulip's parents to an acquaintance during a challenging time in his life, he subsequently transferred a property he then owned into Tulip's ownership as an act of gratitude for her parents' support," said a person familiar with the matter, reports Financial Times.

However, a spokesperson for the minister denied any wrongdoings.

"Any suggestion that Tulip Siddiq's ownership of this property, or any other property is in any way linked to support for the Awami League, would be categorically wrong," spokesperson said.

Tulip currently resides in a £2.1 million property in Finchley, north London, owned by Abdul Karim Nazim, a UK-based member of the Awami League's executive committee. Nazim began renting the property to Tulip in 2022, reads The Sunday Times report.

Tulip's spokesperson stated that she and her husband pay market rent for the property and that their housing arrangements are above board.

FURTHER FAMILY TIES

The Sunday Times further detailed that Tulip's mother Sheikh Rehana lives in a £1.2 million property in Golders Green, reportedly owned through an offshore trust by Shayan Rahman, son of (Salman F Rahman) a billionaire Bangladeshi politician and former adviser to Hasina. Rahman's family has faced legal troubles since Hasina's ousting, with his father currently in custody in Bangladesh.

Another Hampstead property, where Tulip's sister and mother once resided, was owned by Kazi Zafarullah, a senior Awami League member who was jailed in 2007 for extortion. The property was sold in 2012 for $499,000. Zafarullah was later implicated in offshore financial dealings and remains in prison.

Comments

Tulip lived in flat gifted by Hasina ally

Reports The Sunday Times

UK's Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq, responsible for tackling financial crime, lived in a Hampstead flat gifted to her family by an ally of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the recently ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, reports UK-based newspaper The Sunday Times.

The development came as Tory MPs renewed the pressure on the MP from Hampstead and Highgate to quit after allegations emerged that she had lied about receiving a London flat as a gift. 

The Sunday Times found that Moin Ghani, a Bangladeshi lawyer who represented Hasina's government, transferred the property on Finchley Road to Tulip's younger sister, Azmina, in 2009. Land Registry documents show the transfer was made "not for money or anything that has a monetary value."

Azmina, who was 18 in 2009, sold the flat in 2021 for $650,000.

Tulip used the property as her address on official documents during her time as a director of the Working Men's College and a trustee of various non-profits between 2012 and 2014. Her husband, Christian Percy, also listed the flat as his address until 2016. By then, Tulip had become the Labour MP for Hampstead & Kilburn, reported The Sunday Times.

Tulip's spokesperson told The Sunday Times that she lived in her sister's flat for a period, adding that such arrangements are common among family members and that the political affiliations of others have "nothing" to do with Tulip.

Tulip herself has also denied any wrongdoing and described allegations against her as politically motivated.

She remains a close ally of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has expressed confidence in her integrity.

CALL FOR RESIGNATION GROWS

The disclosures have drawn fresh scrutiny on Tulip's ties to Hasina's government, which was ousted last year amid allegations of corruption, human rights abuses, and the deaths of hundreds of protesters.

The Hampstead flat is one of several properties linked to Tulip's family and Awami League members.

Meanwhile, a recent Financial Times report has triggered a new storm in the UK, with opposition Conservative MPs calling for Tulip to resign, reports The Daily Mail.

The report said the MP had lied about receiving a flat at King's Cross, now worth £700,000, as a gift.

The Mail on Sunday repeatedly asked Tulip if she was given the two-bedroom apartment, previously owned by a property developer connected to Sheikh Hasina.

She has denied it was a gift, insisting that her parents had bought it for her. She also threatened the Mail on Sunday with legal action.

However, The Daily Mail on Saturday quoting Labour sources reported that the flat was indeed given to her by the developer as an "act of gratitude".

On Saturday, Tory MPs demanded she stands down as Treasury minister unless she explains herself.

Bob Blackman, the Tory MP for Harrow East, said: "Ms Siddiq needs to clarify the position in relation to her property dealings and explain what was stated originally and why. If she does not, her position as a minister is untenable."

Matt Vickers MP, shadow home office minister, added: "Allegations of this nature against any member of government are unacceptable, but are even more questionable when the minister is Starmer's anti-corruption minister."

And Ben Obese-Jecty, the Tory MP for Huntingdon, said: "This new information about Tulip Siddiq is troubling.

"Now that it has been shown the flat was gifted to her and not purchased by her as previously claimed, Tulip Siddiq has further questions to answer."

The Financial reported that the flat was gifted to Tulip in 2004 by Abdul Motalif, an associate of senior Awami League members.

Abdul Motalif confirmed to the Financial Times in a phone call that he bought the King's Cross property but declined to comment on what he did with it.

"Following financial support provided by Tulip's parents to an acquaintance during a challenging time in his life, he subsequently transferred a property he then owned into Tulip's ownership as an act of gratitude for her parents' support," said a person familiar with the matter, reports Financial Times.

However, a spokesperson for the minister denied any wrongdoings.

"Any suggestion that Tulip Siddiq's ownership of this property, or any other property is in any way linked to support for the Awami League, would be categorically wrong," spokesperson said.

Tulip currently resides in a £2.1 million property in Finchley, north London, owned by Abdul Karim Nazim, a UK-based member of the Awami League's executive committee. Nazim began renting the property to Tulip in 2022, reads The Sunday Times report.

Tulip's spokesperson stated that she and her husband pay market rent for the property and that their housing arrangements are above board.

FURTHER FAMILY TIES

The Sunday Times further detailed that Tulip's mother Sheikh Rehana lives in a £1.2 million property in Golders Green, reportedly owned through an offshore trust by Shayan Rahman, son of (Salman F Rahman) a billionaire Bangladeshi politician and former adviser to Hasina. Rahman's family has faced legal troubles since Hasina's ousting, with his father currently in custody in Bangladesh.

Another Hampstead property, where Tulip's sister and mother once resided, was owned by Kazi Zafarullah, a senior Awami League member who was jailed in 2007 for extortion. The property was sold in 2012 for $499,000. Zafarullah was later implicated in offshore financial dealings and remains in prison.

Comments

জনপ্রশাসন মন্ত্রণালয়

প্রজ্ঞাপনে বাদ পড়াদের ব্যাপারে ২ গোয়েন্দা সংস্থার সঙ্গে বৈঠক করবে জনপ্রশাসন মন্ত্রণালয়

জনপ্রশাসন মন্ত্রণালয় বলেছে, দুটি গোয়েন্দা সংস্থার প্রতিবেদনের ভিত্তিতে প্রজ্ঞাপন দেওয়া হয়েছে। বৃহস্পতিবার এই দুই সংস্থার প্রতিনিধিদের সঙ্গেই বৈঠক হবে।

১৯ মিনিট আগে