Govt yet to receive any letter from Tulip: Shafiqul

The Bangladesh government has not received any letter from former UK city minister Tulip Siddiq requesting a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during his upcoming London visit.

The Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Sunday said the government has not yet received any such letter. "We cannot comment on something we have not seen," he said in response to journalists’ inquiry.

The British newspaper The Guardian reported on Sunday that Tulip, whose aunt Sheikh Hasina faces trial in absentia for crimes against humanity during her 15-year tenure as Bangladesh’s prime minister, has sought a meeting with Yunus to address a “misunderstanding” related to corruption allegations leveled by Dhaka authorities. 

These allegations, which prompted Tulip’s resignation from the UK government, claim she benefited from Hasina’s regime.

In her letter to Yunus, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and Bangladesh’s interim leader, Tulip aims to resolve the controversy during his London visit, where he is scheduled to meet King Charles and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to The Guardian. 

Tulip wrote: “I hope a meeting can clarify the misunderstanding perpetuated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Dhaka, which suggests I have questions to answer regarding my aunt, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. I am a UK citizen, born in London, and have represented Hampstead and Highgate in Parliament for a decade. I have no property or business interests in Bangladesh. While the country is dear to me, it is not where I was born, live, or have built my career.”

She further noted: “The ACC has not contacted my legal team in London and sends correspondence to an unrelated address in Dhaka. Every step of this investigation is reported to the media, yet no direct communication has been established with my lawyers. I trust you’ll appreciate the need to ensure these reports do not overshadow my work for my constituents and country.”