Tulip Siddiq has described the process which resulted in her conviction this morning as a “kangaroo court.” Speaking to Sky News, Siddiq contested that she had misused her “special influence” to coerce her aunt the deposed dictator Sheikh Hasina into giving valuable pieces of land to her mother, brother, and sister. Siddiq referred to the plots – in a special zone on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka – as “some random plot of land in a random place in Bangladesh.” She also said the charge does not make sense due to the fact that Hasina “is ten times more powerful than me” and interim PM Muhammad Yunus “should be ashamed of himself” for “pursuing a personal vendetta.” Siddiq has always denied the charges on these grounds…
Siddiq added “I certainly will not be considering my position” and said Bangladeshi authorities should have contacted her in parliament where she “would have shown them that I have nothing to hide.” She declined to say whether she has spoken to her aunt Sheikh Hasina since she was sentenced to death in absentia by the Bangladeshi court. Siddiq is subject to additional charges.
