‘It’s about plain robbery’: Yunus on Tulip scandal

Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has called on Britain’s anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq, the niece of Sheikh Hasina who has been facing controversy over corruption charges, to apologise for using properties given to her and her family by the Awami League regime.

The Business Standard came up with the information in a report on Sunday (January 12), quoting The Sunday Times.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Muhammad Yunus said that the London properties used by Tulip Siddiq should be investigated and returned if she is found to have benefited from “plain robbery”.

The London homes connected to Siddiq should be examined as part of a continuing inquiry into fraud and embezzlement, Yunus told the British news outlet.

The comments are his first on the scandal engulfing Siddiq, 42, and will add to the pressure on her to resign. However, there are suggestions No 10 is already looking for a replacement, according to the Sunday Times report.

Yunus’s intervention came as a Sunday Times investigation found Siddiq spent years living in a Hampstead property bought by an offshore company named in the Panama Papers and connected to two Bangladeshi businessmen.

During an interview with the Times on Thursday at the Jamuna State Guest House, his official residence in the capital, Yunus said it was an “irony” that Siddiq had been accused of corruption.

Yunus referred to a recent official report that found the people connected with the Awami League regime had taken billions of dollars a year out of Bangladesh, with some funds used to buy assets including property abroad.

“They pointed out how money is stolen, but it’s not stealing – when you steal, you hide it. It’s a robbery,” he said.

Asked whether that could apply to properties used by members of Hasina’s family in London, the chief adviser said, “Absolutely, it’s about plain robbery. Nothing else.”

“If a UK parliament member is involved, definitely it’s a big issue … we got used to [the previous regime] taking away everything, so we feel relieved that you’re bringing this [issue] to the attention of the world.”

On the scale of corruption, he added, “The word ‘contaminated’ is a very soft word. [The country is] totally destroyed. It's not contaminated. [Hasina's regime] had no intention of retaining any semblance of … what honesty is, what transparency is. They had no qualm about destroying it all. So that's what we inherited."

Asked whether Siddiq's properties should be investigated by the ACC, Yunus said "absolutely". He added that the commission should look at the "whole thing".

He also said that, if feasible, the properties bought by Awami League allies should be returned. "That's the intention of the interim government. How to bring them back. Because it's about people's money. And when I say people it's not about the billion-dollar people you talk about, [it's] common people," he said.

While talking with the Times, Yunus also joked about the “generous” philanthropy of Shayan Rahman, the son of Salman F Rahman, and who has given £250,000 to one of the king’s charities.

"Generous person, see? How generous … We are mentioning Shayan by name now but there are many Shayans going to cocktail parties right now who've not been named yet. When you have free money you can do anything you want, you want to go close to somebody, throwing money, you've got a ticket right here, you sit next to the person that you want to look for," he said.

In the interview, Yunus said his officials aimed to recover cash and assets held overseas but originating from funds in Bangladesh.

"Where they live, wherever they have palaces, whole complexes of properties bought, you see in many capitals, not far from us, the countries very close to us. Then UK, we'll try and find them. And then go further, Caribbeans, USA, Canada."

According to Sunday Times, the National Crime Agency (NCA), Britain's equivalent of the FBI, has indicated its willingness to help Bangladesh recover certain assets.

Yunus said he hoped for the continued co-operation of law enforcement in every country involved, including the UK. "Respective governments should look into it, whatever the reasons are," he said in the interview.

The British news outlet also talked with Mahfuz Alam, adviser to the interim government and a student leader of the anti-discrimination student movement, over the issue.

Mahfuz described Siddiq as part of Sheikh Hasina's "family enterprise" and said giving property to members of the family overseas was "a coordinated process which was being [conducted] for 15 years". "They were plundering money and [assisting] the people who will vouch for her and her politics."

He added, "It's the system of making oligarchs … it was that nexus, the Sheikh [Hasina] family, not only Sheikh Rehana or Hasina, the sheikh's family around Bangladesh … and again oligarchs who were looting the public money from many banks."

However, Siddiq continues to defend herself in the face of mounting criticism. She says she is the victim of trumped-up allegations and has not yet been contacted by the ACC.

Pressure mounting on Stammer to sack Tulip

Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative opposition leader, said Sir Keir Starmer should remove Siddiq from her post, warning of a diplomatic crisis, reports the Times.

"The prime minister tried to make a big deal of his commitment to standards and integrity. His weak leadership on Siddiq suggests he is not as bothered by integrity as he claims," said Badenoch.

According to the report, Labour MPs have been reluctant to speak out, with many said to be asking why Starmer has taken so long to act.

Starmer and Siddiq are friends and constituency neighbours, while the prime minister has faced criticism for his proximity to the UK arm of the Awami League.