UK's Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq, responsible for tackling financial crime, lived in a Hampstead flat gifted to her family by an ally of Sheikh Hasina, her aunt and the ousted former Bangladeshi prime minister, reports UK newspaper The Sunday Times.
Moin Ghani, a Bangladeshi lawyer who has represented Sheikh Hasina's government, transferred the property on Finchley Road to Siddiq's younger sister, Azmina, in 2009. Land Registry documents show the transfer was made "not for money or anything that has a monetary value," The Sunday Times found.
Azmina, who was 18 at the time, later sold the flat in 2021 for 650,000 dollars.
Tulip, 42, 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 which time Siddiq had become the Labour MP for Hampstead & Kilburn, The Sunday Times reported.
The flat's prior owner, Ghani, has a long history of advising Hasina's government and has publicly praised her leadership. The Financial Times recently revealed that another London property—a King's Cross flat—was gifted to Siddiq in 2004 by Abdul Motalif, an associate of senior Awami League members.
Siddiq's spokesperson told The Sunday Times that she lived in her sister's property for a period, adding that such arrangements are common in families. The spokesperson also stated that the political affiliations of others have "nothing" to do with Siddiq.
Links to Hasina's regime
The disclosures have drawn fresh scrutiny on Siddiq's ties to Sheikh Hasina's government, which was ousted last year amid allegations of corruption, human rights abuses, and the deaths of hundreds of protesters. Siddiq denies any wrongdoing and has described allegations against her as politically motivated.
The Hampstead flat is one of several properties linked to Siddiq's family and Awami League members. Siddiq 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 Siddiq in 2022. He has since been granted audiences with Sheikh Hasina and other senior Bangladeshi officials and was appointed vice-chairman of a bank linked to the Awami League, The Sunday Times report said.
Nazim has faced criticism for failing to file accounts for several of his companies, leading to their forced dissolution—a criminal offence under UK law. Siddiq'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 Siddiq's mother Sheikh Rehana lives in a £1.2 million property in Golders Green, reportedly owned through an offshore trust by Shayan Rahman, the son of 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 Siddiq'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 dollars. Zafarullah was later implicated in offshore financial dealings and remains in prison.
Siddiq's evolving relationship with Hasina
Before entering UK politics, Siddiq was vocal about her ties to Hasina and the Awami League, reports The Sunday Times. In 2008, she celebrated Hasina's election as Bangladesh's prime minister, writing, "I am ecstatic!"
She served on Hasina's UN delegation in 2011 and described herself as part of the Awami League's "UK and EU lobbying unit."
Siddiq's connection to the Awami League extended to her involvement in the 2013 signing of a nuclear deal between Bangladesh and Russia. Siddiq attended the Moscow meeting alongside Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The deal is now under investigation, and Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission has alleged that Siddiq and her family benefited financially from it. Siddiq has denied these claims, calling them baseless.
Since her election as an MP in 2015, Siddiq has sought to distance herself from her aunt's regime, according to The Sunday Times. She has stated that her visits to Hasina were purely familial and that she does not discuss politics with her aunt. Siddiq's spokesperson emphasised that she has recused herself from any parliamentary matters relating to Bangladesh.
In 2017, Siddiq refused to speak to her aunt about the plight of a British-educated barrister who was forcibly "disappeared" by the regime and apologised after appearing to threaten a pregnant Channel 4 reporter who asked her about it.
"I'm a British member of parliament. Be very careful," she told the reporter, "I'm not Bangladeshi." She added, "Hope you have a great birth because child labour is hard."
Starmer's backing
Siddiq remains a close ally of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has expressed confidence in her integrity. The two MPs share a long-standing friendship, with their families often spending time together. Starmer has defended Siddiq against allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Critics of Hasina's regime have also questioned the credibility of some claims against Siddiq, including allegations that she benefited from embezzled funds related to the Russian nuclear deal. These claims originated from a US-based blog and lack substantial evidence.
Despite this, Siddiq has faced criticism for not providing a detailed account of her family's financial ties to the Awami League, according to The Sunday Times. As economic secretary to the Treasury, Siddiq oversees efforts to combat financial crime, a role that has brought her housing arrangements under heightened scrutiny.
