Tulip Siddiq Given Fawning Guardian Interview on Day Trial Begins in Bangladesh – Guido Fawkes

Tulip Siddiq Given Fawning Guardian Interview on Day Trial Begins in Bangladesh

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The Guardian has run an entirely uncritical interview of Tulip Siddiq on the day that her trial begins in Bangladesh. She’s making the same points as usual…

The ex-corruption minister said she had no intention of turning up: “I’m yet to see an official summons … I mean, I’m supposedly days away from a showcase trial in a foreign country, and I still don’t know what the charges are against me. I feel a bit like I’m trapped in this Kafkaesque nightmare where I’ve been put on trial and I genuinely haven’t found out what the allegations are and what the trial is about.” As prominent journalist writing on Bangladesh David Bergman points out, if Siddiq had any intention of interacting in good faith with the legal process there she could have appointed a solicitor in Bangladesh to represent her interests. She has not done so and continues to claim to be oblivious to everything…

She blamed the memory of her “elderly parents” for her apparent failure to realise that a flat in King’s Cross had actually been gifted to her by an Awami-League-linked developer. She also refused to distance herself from ousted dictator Sheikh Hasina: “I’m not here to defend my aunt… I know there’s an investigation going on about how her term in government ended. And I really hope the people of Bangladesh get the closure that they want.” Guido has extensively covered the Awami League’s proximity to the Labour party and Tulip in recent years. Siddiq remained silent as the UN accused her aunt’s regime of killing children…

Siddiq maintains she is “collateral damage” in a political dispute between Hasina and Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus. She was formally indicted in Dhaka last week and the trial – which relates to alleged impropriety in new land allocation – is set to begin today. Tulip has always denied wrongdoing. Siddiq’s lawyers have said in a statement: “For nearly a year, the Bangladesh authorities have been making false allegations against Tulip Siddiq. Ms Siddiq has not been contacted or received any official communication from the court and does not and has never owned any land in Purbachal.” The trial begins today.