British city minister Tulip Siddiq was given a central London apartment by a person linked to the Awami League, led by the ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, reports the British newspaper The Financial Times.
Tulip Siddiq is the niece of Sheikh Hasina and the daughter of Hasina鈥檚 youngest sister, Sheikh Rehana.
Tulip Siddiq, economic secretary to the Treasury, was handed a two-bedroom flat near King's Cross in 2004 without making a payment, according to previously unreported Land Registry filings, the newspaper reports.
Sheikh Hasina, who was held responsible for widespread corruption and massive human rights violations during her regime, fled to India on August 5 last year after widespread protests.
The British newspaper also reports that the filings indicate the donor was Abdul Motalif, a developer and associate of people linked to Tulip Siddiq鈥檚 aunt, the deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The King's Cross property, which Tulip Siddiq still owns, was purchased in January 2001 for 拢195,000, the filings show. A neighbouring flat in the building was sold in August for 拢650,000.
鈥楢ny suggestion that Tulip Siddiq鈥檚 ownership of this property, or any other property, is in any way linked to support for the Awami League would be categorically wrong,鈥� a spokesperson for the minister said.
Motalif confirmed to The Financial Times in a phone call that he bought the King鈥檚 Cross property but declined to comment on what he did with it.
鈥楩ollowing financial support provided by Tulip鈥檚 parents to an acquaintance during a challenging time in his life, he subsequently transferred a property he then owned into Tulip鈥檚 ownership as an act of gratitude for her parents鈥� support,鈥� said a person familiar with the matter, according to the newspaper.
Details of the gift raise fresh questions about Tulip Siddiq鈥檚 ability to distance herself from corruption allegations, having been named in a probe last month by the Anti-Corruption Commission in Bangladesh.
The Bangladeshi investigation came after a political rival of Sheikh Hasina accused her family, including Tulip Siddiq, of taking a cut from a Russia-backed nuclear power project, claims they have denied.
Members of Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 Awami League are also accused of diverting funds from Bangladesh鈥檚 banking system to purchase properties in the UK, US, United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. They have denied the allegations.
Electoral roll data shows that Tulip Siddiq lived in the King's Cross flat in the early 2000s, and her siblings resided in the property for several years afterward. Siddiq has declared rental income from two flats in her MP鈥檚 declaration of financial interests.
Motalif, who is now 70, lives in south-east London. Companies House filings show him listed as the owner of a now-dissolved small property services company.
Before becoming an MP in 2015, Tulip Siddiq worked for several charities and as a consultant for Philip Gould Associates, the firm of the late Labour peer and strategist.
Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh鈥檚 interim government, which took power in August, has described the Awami League as 鈥榝ascist鈥�. Rival parties and human rights groups have accused it of rigging elections, carrying out extrajudicial killings, and capturing state institutions.
Downing Street said last month that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer 鈥榟as confidence鈥� in Siddiq, adding that she had 鈥榙enied any involvement in the allegations made鈥� about the Russia-backed nuclear power plant.
UK government officials also said they had seen no evidence of wrongdoing by Siddiq.
Tulip Siddiq has been a Labour Party member since she was 16, but she also worked for a time within the Awami League鈥檚 EU and UK 鈥榣obbying unit and election strategy team,鈥� according to a Labour blog post that has since been deleted.
听