Tulip Siddiq, economic secretary to the treasury and City minister in the UK, reportedly received a flat in central London in 2004 without payment from a developer connected to the ousted Awami League government in Bangladesh, led by her aunt Sheikh Hasina.
British daily Financial Times cited land registry filings while reporting on the property handover process. Tulip is the daughter of Sheikh Rehana, sister of the ousted prime minister.
According to land registry records, the King's Cross property, bought in 2001 for £195,000, was gifted to Tulip Siddiq by Abdul Motalif, a developer linked to figures in the Awami League. To provide a clearer view on the property, the report noted that a neighbouring flat of the building changed ownership in August for £650,000.
However, Tulip's spokesperson denied any link between the property gift and her ties to Awami League, saying it was a gesture of gratitude for her parents' support during Motalif’s challenging time.
“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,” the daily quoted the spokesperson as saying.
During an over-the-phone conversation, Motalif confirmed he purchased the flat but refused to detail on its further handlings.
According to electoral roll records, the gift of the King’s Cross property was made before Tulip Siddiq became an MP, meaning she was not required to make disclosures about it.
She lived in the flat in the early 2000s and her siblings resided in the property for several years afterwards. She has declared rental income from two flats in her MP’s declaration of financial interests.
Apart from the gift, Tulip rented a £2.1 million London home owned by an executive member of Awami League’s UK wing in 2022.
The property gift raises questions amid ongoing investigations into corruption linked to Sheikh Hasina and her family members in Bangladesh. A political rival of Sheikh Hasina accused her family, including Tulip, of taking a cut from a Russia-backed nuclear power project, claims they have denied.