DHAKA: A court in Bangladesh ordered authorities to seek an Interpol red notice against British lawmaker and former minister Tulip Siddiq on Thursday over alleged corruption linked to a private real estate project in the capital.

The court issued the order after the Anti-Corruption Com­mission filed a petition seeking international assistance for her arrest. The ACC alleges that Siddiq used her close family ties to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to influence the allocation of government land to a private company.

Siddiq, who is Hasi­na’s niece, has repeatedly denied the allegations, describing earlier verdicts against her as “flawed and farcical”. She has also said she is a British citizen, not a Bangladeshi national.

She did not immediately respond to email requests for comment, and there was no immediate reaction from her following the latest court order.

Bangladesh courts have already sentenced Siddiq to a total of six years in prison in three separate corruption cases, all related to alleged abuse of influence during Hasina’s time in office. Siddiq resigned in January last year from her role as economic secretary to the Treasury under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, citing mounting political pressure over her links to Hasina, though she insisted she had been cleared of wrongdoing. Britain does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2026