ACC chairman clarifies Tulip Siddiq's remarks to UK media
Tulip recently said in an interview with Sky News that she was unaware of any charges against her and claimed that no one from the ACC had contacted her
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has responded to a recent news item published in print media regarding a letter from the legal team of Tulip Siddiq, the former UK anti-corruption minister who stepped down amid corruption charges.
At a press briefing today at the ACC's Segunbagicha Headquarters, Chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen addressed the issue, saying, "While legal representation is standard practice for any accused individual... corruption charges are not compoundable and must be resolved through legal proceedings."
"Exchanging letters cannot take the place of a proper court process," he added.
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Tulip, who is the niece of Bangladesh's deposed prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, recently said in an interview with Sky News that she was unaware of any charges against her and claimed that no one from the ACC had contacted her.
Despite significant political support in the UK, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Rodney Starmer, Tulip was compelled to resign following growing allegations.
About the case, ACC Chairman Momen clarified that the charge against Tulip is backed by extensive documentary evidence.
"The charge sheet has been prepared after a thorough examination of documentary evidence. The rest lies with the court, while execution of all orders lies with the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also be involved," he said.
Momen also pointed out the importance of legal procedures, saying that if an individual fails to appear after a warrant is issued, they would be treated as a "criminal absconder."
He stressed that the legal process is not exclusive to Tulip, saying, "The same legal standards will apply to other absconding accused, including Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Sajeeb Wazed, Saima Wazed, Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and Azmina Siddiq."
Responding to a journalist's query, the ACC chairman acknowledged the commission's limitations, saying, "We have legal obligations. We have many limitations that you all know more or less. Our new commission has only been in operation for 75 days. Although we are not yet a constitutionally independent institution, we are able to work completely independently. We believe that this trend will continue."
In a separate update, Momen highlighted a significant development during the Bangladesh ACC team's visit to Thailand as part of the Chief Adviser's delegation.
He said, "There, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Bilateral Cooperation on Preventing and Fighting Corruption with the National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand.
"The bilateral cooperation described in the MoU would institutionally enable and strengthen both countries in the days to come."
