UK's anti-corruption minister refers herself to ethics watchdog over links to ousted Bangladeshi PM

LONDON — A British Treasury minister has referred herself to the U.K. government's ethics watchdog following reports that she lived in London properties linked to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Bangladeshi prime minister.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that Treasury economic secretary Tulip Siddiq “acted entirely properly” by referring herself to his independent adviser on ministerial standards.

Siddiq, who is responsible for tackling corruption in financial markets, was named last month in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh against Hasina. The investigation alleged that Siddiq's family was involved in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh in which large sums of money were said to have been embezzled.

The minister faced further questions about her links to her aunt's regime after reports in the Sunday Times and Financial Times newspapers alleged she had used two London apartments given to her by associates of Bangladesh's Awami League, led by Hasina.

Hasina was Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister and ruled the country for 15 years until August 2024, when she was ousted amid a mass uprising in which hundreds of protesters were killed and thousands were injured. Hasina, who has fled to India, faces many court cases over the deaths, including some on charges of crimes against humanity.

Siddiq, 42, maintains she has done nothing wrong in her letter to the ministerial standards watchdog, adding: “For the avoidance of doubt, I would like you to independently establish the facts about these matters."

Starmer said he had confidence in Siddiq, 42, who was elected lawmaker in north London in 2015. She had been due to join a U.K. government delegation to China later this week, but will now stay in Britain.