Bangladesh leader declines to meet Tulip Siddiq

Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus has refused to meet Labour MP Tulip Siddiq to discuss corruption allegations against her during his visit to London.
Yunus told the BBC the allegations were a "court matter" and said he had confidence in Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which is investigating Siddiq.
The ACC has accused Siddiq of illegally receiving land from the regime of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as Bangladesh's prime minister last year.
Siddiq, a former Treasury minister, has denied the allegations and accused the Bangladeshi authorities of a "politically motivated smear campaign".
In a letter, Siddiq requested a meeting with Yunus, a Nobel-prize winning economist who has led an interim government in Bangladesh since a student-led protest movement toppled Hasina from power.
Siddiq said a meeting "might also help clear up the misunderstanding perpetuated by the Anti-Corruption Commission in Dhaka".
In an interview with the BBC, Yunus was asked whether he would meet Siddiq during his four-day visit to the UK this week.
"No I'm not because it's a legal procedure," Yunus said. "I don't want to interrupt a legal procedure. Let the procedure continue."
Siddiq has argued Bangladeshi authorities have not provided any evidence to back up their allegations and refuse to engage with her lawyers.
Responding to those arguments, Yunus said: "It's a court matter.
"A court will decide if enough materials are available to pursue the case or cancel it".
When asked if prosecutors in Bangladesh needed to be more transparent and provide evidence of wrongdoing to Siddiq, Yunus said: "As chief adviser I have full confidence in our Anti-Corruption Commission and they are doing the right thing."
On the question of whether he would seek Siddiq's extradition if she was found guilty of any crimes in Bangladesh, Yunus said: "If it is part of the legal procedure, of course."
In a statement, Siddiq said she was disappointed Yunus had refused to meet her.
She said: "He's been at the heart of a political vendetta based on fantasy accusations with no evidence relentlessly briefed to the media.
"If this was a serious legal process they would engage with my lawyers rather than sending bogus correspondence to an address in Dhaka where I have never lived.
"I hope he is now serious about ending the practice of smearing me in the press and allowing the courts to establish that their investigations have nothing to do with me - a British citizen and a proud member of the UK Parliament."
Siddiq quit her ministerial post earlier this year, following an investigation into the allegations by the prime minister's ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus.
In his report, Sir Laurie said he had "not identified evidence of improprieties".
But he said it was "regrettable" that Siddiq had not been more alert to the "potential reputational risks" of her ties to her aunt, who is leader of Awami League party in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh authorities estimate that about $234bn (£174bn) was siphoned off from Bangladesh through corrupt means while Hasina was in power.
The Bangladeshi authorities allege that much of this money has been stashed or spent in the UK.
Yunus said he had not been able to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, a close friend and constituency neighbour of Siddiq.
He said: "I don't know whether I should be disappointed or he should be disappointed. It's a missed opportunity.
"That's why I'm saying coming to Bangladesh would be a good opportunity to relax and see and feel the moment."
When asked if Downing Street had given a reason for not scheduling a meeting with Starmer, he said: "I don't think we have received an explanation from that kind of thing. Probably he is busy with other important things."
A Downing Street spokesperson did not comment.
But Yunus did have an audience with King Charles at Buckingham Palace and met Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in Parliament.
In a post on X, Reynolds said they discussed "our shared ambitions for economic growth, job creation and prosperity".
Some anti-Yunus protesters from the Bangladeshi community in the UK gathered on Parliament Square during his visit.
Yunus said Bangladesh's interim government had hired lawyers to try to recover any allegedly stolen funds from the UK.
He said the UK government was "extremely supportive" of this effort.
"I have a lot of admiration for the promptness with which they're treating the whole subject," Yunus said.
The BBC understands the International Anti-Corruption Co-ordination Centre (IACCC) is exploring opportunities to assist Bangladesh's interim government and its law enforcement agencies in their efforts to investigate allegations of corruption under Hasina's rule.
The IACCC is hosted by the National Crime Agency in London.
An NCA spokesperson said: "The NCA does not routinely comment on the nature of international assistance, nor confirm or deny if the Agency has opened an investigation or is supporting a partner's investigation."
Tulip Siddiq attacks 'false' corruption allegations
Her aunt's regime 'disappeared' people - so why did Starmer make her a minister?

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New York Post

an hour ago

• New York Post

Anti-ICE activists help migrant child rapist escape arrest in Colorado: officials

Anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activists in Denver, Colorado, managed to thwart agents trying to arrest an illegal migrant wanted in Italy for child rape. ICE Colorado said on Friday their agents were trying to detain Jose Reyes Leon-Deras, a criminal alien from El Salvador who was convicted of child rape in Italy, when members of a local anti-ICE group alerted him to their presence. ICE said the group, Colorado Rapid Response, posted on social media that ICE was in the area, allowing him time to flee. 5 Jose Reyes Leon-Deras is wanted for child rape in Italy. 5 ICE agents patrol the halls at Jacob K. Javitz Building in New York City. Getty Images 'During our surveillance of Leon, members of Colorado Rapid Response arrived on scene and alerted him to law enforcement's presence, which allowed him to escape arrest,' ICE Colorado said. 'Groups like this interfere with ICE's ability to keep communities safe.' ICE shared a Facebook post from the group, written in English and Spanish, alerting its followers to ICE's presence in the area and the type of vehicle agents were using. ICE has asked the public to report Leon-Deras to federal authorities if they see the migrant but warned the public not to approach him. 5 Anti-ICE activists help migrant child rapist escape arrest in Colorado. Colorado Rapid Response Network / Facebook Denver Mayor Mike Johnston previously vowed to station police officers to block ICE agents from carrying out deportations, and a report showed that the city has spent over $356 million in taxpayer dollars on services for migrants. A 2017 Denver ordinance limits officials from cooperating with ICE. Anti-ICE protests and activity have grown since President Donald Trump returned to office and vowed to carry out the largest deportation mission in U.S. history. 5 The Colorado Rapid Response group posted about ICE in the neighborhood. Colorado Rapid Response Network / Facebook In Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday, anti-ICE activists tried to block the entrance of an ICE deportation facility in Portland and then launched fireworks and shined lasers at law enforcement, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. Two weeks ago, a mob of anti-ICE protesters set fire to cars in Los Angeles, damaged property and threw rocks at law enforcement, forcing Trump to activate the National Guard. 5 ICE said they attempted to arrest Jose Reyes Leon-Deras but the activist group alerted him that officers were on the scene. ICE/Facebook The 'No Kings' protests across the country last week were in part fueled by opposition to mass deportations. On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that 75% of the illegal aliens arrested under the Trump administration have been charged with or convicted of a crime. Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Los Angeles Times

2 hours ago

• Los Angeles Times

Why ‘bunker busters' won't end Iran's nuclear ambitions

On Sunday at approximately 2 a.m. Tehran time, seven B-2 stealth aircraft attacked the Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, strikes enabled as much by the belief that Iran had this coming as the particular technology of the American bombers. A drawling President Trump put it in stark terms shortly after the operation ended. 'For 40 years, Iran has been saying death to America, death to Israel. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs. That was their specialty.' Convention drives coverage of Iran in the United States, from stock images of anti-American murals to the enduring menace of 'Iranian-backed militias.' Now there is an emerging consensus that overthrowing the government in Tehran will accomplish what Israeli and U.S. missiles and air assaults have not: an end to Iran's nuclear program and that country's destabilizing aspirations for regional hegemony, not to mention an end of the oppressive Islamic Republic itself. A series of headlines, analysts and politicians have in recent days presented regime change as a natural certainty, nothing less than a magic bullet. This too is seen as Iran's due. Very few of these expert voices have taken the next step by asking, 'Then what?' Where does the magic bullet land? Sovereign imperatives await the next group to come into power. Democratic or otherwise, the government that replaces the current regime will be laser-focused on Iran's survival. And there is very little reason for Israel or the U.S. to think that a reconstituted Iran will become more conciliatory toward either country once the war ends. The reality is that nationalism, not theocracy, remains what what the historian Ali Ansari calls the 'determining ideology' of Iran. There is a robust consensus among scholars that politics in Iran begins with the idea of Iran as a people with a continuous and unbroken history, a nation that 'looms out of an immemorial past.' Nationalism provides the broad political arena in which different groups and ideologies in Iran compete for power and authority, whether monarchist, Islamist or leftist. And that means that the patriotic defense of Iran isn't a passing phase, produced under the duress of bombs, but the default position, the big idea that holds Iran together, hardened over the last two centuries of Iranian history and the trauma of the loss of territory and dignity to outside powers, including the Russians, the British and the Americans. Getting rid of Islamic rule won't change this dynamic; it is almost sure to guarantee that something worse will come along, sending Iranian politics in unexpected and more corrosive directions. Americans, after all, need only look to their current administration (or past interventions in the Middle East) for examples of how populist responses to foreign invasions, real or imagined, can lead to unthinkable outcomes. 'Trump just guaranteed that Iran will be a nuclear weapons state in the next 5 to 10 years, particularly if the regime changes,' Trita Parsi of the U.S.-based Quincy Institute wrote Saturday night. This is especially true if a new regime is democratic. The promised 'liberation' of the Iranian people through devastating bombing campaigns presents the worst-case scenario for Israel and the U.S., as no future elected government would survive unless it sustained, and perhaps surpassed, the Islamic Republic of Iran's current belligerence. There is tragedy here. Ordinary Iranians, like most people, want peace and security, preferably through diplomacy and dialogue. The unprovoked attacks of the last week and their subsequent justification by not only the U.S. but also nearly all of the European Union, a disastrous sequence that began with Trump's wanton violation of President Obama's Iran deal in 2018, have convinced an increasing number of Iranians that the restraint of arms, nuclear or otherwise, is national suicide. Insofar as the Islamic Republic can claim that it is the only Iranian government in more than 200 years to have lost 'not an inch of soil,' it continues to cling to power. Of course, such legitimacy comes with a dual edge. This regime may survive in the short term, but if and when it does fall it will be because its leaders failed to keep Israeli and American arms out, munitions that have already killed more than 800 of their fellow citizens in less than a week, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. One of the most common conventions when it comes to Iran, typically presented as a gesture of grace, is to draw a distinction between its government and the people, to lay blame on 'the mullahs' and not the country's long-suffering citizens for their country's status as a rogue actor. As a way to appeal to Iranians of the righteousness of his cause, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his surrogates have deployed tropes of civilizational greatness that would make even the most ardent Persian chauvinist blush. On Thursday, the Israeli prime minister announced that the time had come for the Jews to repay an ancient debt: 'I want to tell you that 2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, liberated the Jews. And today, a Jewish state is creating the means to liberate the Persian people.' Regime change, by this logic, is a project of recovery and revivalism, a surefire way to make Iran great again. Iranians are proving to be less nuanced, and unconvinced. The distance between the Iranian state and society has in the last week been reduced to almost nothing. Across the range of experience and suffering, from imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureates and formerly imprisoned Palm D'Or winners to working-class laborers left behind by the revolution, the overriding sentiment today in Iran is clear: These clerics may be scoundrels, but they're our scoundrels, our problem to solve. Nearly 50 years into an unwanted dictatorship, Iranians have developed a refined capacity for identifying bad faith. They know who has Iran's interests at heart and who is trying to save his own skin. Iranian American Shervin Malekzadeh is a visiting assistant professor of political science at Pitzer College and author of the forthcoming book, 'Fire Beneath the Ash: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Democracy in Iran, 2009-2019.'

3 hours ago

Nations react to US strikes on Iran with many calling for diplomacy

Several close U.S. allies urged a return to the negotiating table following American strikes on Iran that fueled fears of a wider conflict, while noting the threat posed by Tehran's nuclear program. Some countries and groups in the region, including those that support Iran, condemned the move while also urging de-escalation. U.S. President Donald Trump described the damage as 'monumental' after the U.S. hit three Iranian nuclear sites, though the U.S. assessment was unfinished. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the U.S. had 'crossed a very big red line,' the time for diplomacy was over and Iran had the right to defend itself. Here is a look at the global reaction: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the use of force by the United States. 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,' he said in a statement on the social media platform X. 'I call on Member States to de-escalate.' 'There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy.' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned of escalation beyond the Middle East as he called for all sides to negotiate a diplomatic end to the crisis, saying stability was the priority in the volatile region. The U.K., along with the European Union, France and Germany, tried unsuccessfully to broker a diplomatic solution in Geneva last week with Iran. Starmer said Iran's nuclear program posed a grave threat to global security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the U.S. has taken action to alleviate that threat,' Starmer said. Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of President Vladimir Putin's Security Council, said several countries were prepared to supply Tehran with nuclear weapons. He didn't specify which countries, but said the U.S. attack caused minimal damage and would not stop Tehran from pursuing nuclear weapons. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it 'strongly condemned' the airstrikes and called them a 'a gross violation of international law, the U.N. Charter, and U.N. Security Council resolutions.' The Iraqi government condemned the U.S. strikes, saying the military escalation created a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East. It said it poses serious risks to regional stability and called for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis. 'The continuation of such attacks risks dangerous escalation with consequences that extend beyond the borders of any single state, threatening the security of the entire region and the world,' government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in the statement. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi warned of 'grave repercussions' for expanding the Middle East conflict and urged a return to negotiations. Saudi Arabia, which previously condemned Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leaders, expressed 'deep concern' about the U.S. airstrikes, but stopped short of condemning them. 'The Kingdom underscores the need to exert all possible efforts to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Qatar, which is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, said it 'regrets' escalating tensions in the Israel-Iran war. Its Foreign Ministry in a statement urged all parties to show restraint and 'avoid escalation, which the peoples of the region, burdened by conflicts and their tragic humanitarian repercussions, cannot tolerate.' Qatar has served as a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war. Both the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas condemned the U.S. strikes. The Houthi political bureau in a statement called on Muslim nations to join 'the Jihad and resistance option as one front against the Zionist-American arrogance.' Hamas and the Houthis are part of Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance, a collection of pro-Iranian proxies stretching from Yemen to Lebanon that for years gave the Islamic Republic considerable power across the region. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the U.S. bombing could lead to a regional conflict that no country could bear and called for negotiations. 'Lebanon, its leadership, parties, and people, are aware today, more than ever before, that it has paid a heavy price for the wars that erupted on its land and in the region,' Aoun said in a statement on X. 'It is unwilling to pay more.' Pakistan blasted the U.S. strikes as a 'deeply disturbing' escalation just days after it nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic intervention with the India-Pakistan crisis. 'These attacks violate all norms of international law,' the government said in a statement. 'Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the U.N. Charter.' China condemned U.S. strikes on Iran, calling them a serious violation of international law that further inflamed tensions in the Middle East. In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged all parties — especially Israel — to implement a cease-fire and begin dialogue. 'China is willing to work with the international community to pool efforts together and uphold justice, and contribute to the work for restoring peace and stability in the Middle East,' the ministry said. The European Union's top diplomat said Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, but she urged those involved in the conflict to show restraint. 'I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on social media. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Iran's nuclear facilities 'represented a danger for the entire area' but hoped the action could lead to de-escalation in the conflict and negotiations. Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris called the U.S. airstrikes 'an extraordinarily dangerous escalation of a conflict that already best be described as a tinderbox.' Ireland, which has been especially critical of Israel's war in Gaza, echoed other European calls for negotiations that would prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. 'We're now entering a moment of particular danger,' Harris said. 'The chances now of a spiral of escalation are more likely than ever before, and there is a real prospect now of the international community losing all control of this very, very volatile conflict.' Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia's government endorsed the U.S. strikes. 'We support action to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon and that is what this is,' she said. Her remarks to Channel Nine news Monday were firmer than an official statement supplied Sunday by her government immediately after the strikes that stopped short of backing them. 'Ultimately we want to see de-escalation and diplomacy,' Wong said. She would not say whether Australian satellite communications or signals intelligence were employed by the United States. Both countries are members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing partnership. But Wong said the U.S. had been clear that 'this was a unilateral strike.' Left-wing Latin American governments expressed fierce opposition to the U.S. strikes. Iran-allied Venezuela called the attacks 'illegal, unjustifiable and extremely dangerous.' Colombian President Gustavo Petro said they were an insult to the Middle East. Chile's President Gabriel Boric said they violated 'rules we have established as humanity.' Mexico's Foreign Ministry made 'an urgent call for peace.' In contrast, Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei, a loyal ally of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, praised the attacks on social media. 'Terrorism, never again,' his spokesperson said. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters it was crucial to calm the situation as soon as possible, adding that Iranian nuclear weapons development also must be prevented. He declined to comment on whether he supported the U.S. attacks on Iran. Vietnam called on parties to continue negotiation efforts and respect humanitarian law and International Atomic Energy Agency regulations. 'Vietnam is deeply concerned about the escalating and complex conflict in the Middle East, which poses a serious threat to the lives and safety of civilians, as well as to regional and global peace and stability,' Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said in the statement. Thailand called on all parties to immediately stop all acts of violence and seek a peaceful resolution. 'Thailand expresses its grave concern over the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, particularly in light of the recently intensified attacks and expansion of conflict by other parties, which pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability and risk further escalation, all of which is dangerous and affecting countless civilians," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Pope Leo XIV made a strong appeal for peace during his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square, calling for international diplomacy to 'silence the weapons.' After an open reference to the 'alarming' situation in Iran, the first American pontiff stressed that 'today more than ever, humanity cries out and invokes peace and it is a cry that demands reason and must not be stifled.'