Tulip Siddique, a member of parliament (MP) for the UK’s ruling Labour Party, has alleged that Bangladesh authorities are using ‘fake’ identity cards to spread propaganda against her. She also said that these documents were forged to prove that she is corrupt.
A report published in the online edition of the British daily The Telegraph on Thursday (September 18) highlighted Tulip’s allegations.
The Telegraph wrote in the report that the documents seen show that former Labour minister Tulip has a Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card (NID), which does not match her previous claims.
A spokesperson for the UK MP told The Telegraph that Bangladesh authorities have been running politically motivated propaganda against Tulip for almost a year.
He said, “They (Bangladesh authorities) have refused to speak to Tulip’s legal team. They have not provided any evidence to support their baseless claims. This time they have forged documents that are completely fake and clearly show all the signs of forgery.
Tulip’s spokesperson mentioned that serious questions have been raised against the Bangladeshi authorities regarding the authenticity of these documents.
The documents show that Tulip obtained a Bangladeshi passport in 2001 at the age of 19. And in 2011, she obtained a Bangladeshi National Identity Card (NID).
The documents also indicate that Tulip applied for passport renewal at the Agargaon Passport Office in Dhaka in 2011. However, Tulip’s associates have highlighted various ‘inconsistencies and irregularities’ in the documents, which raise questions about their authenticity.
For example, the documents mention a house in Dhaka as Tulip’s address, which is owned by her aunt and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina.
Sources close to Tulip insist that she has never lived in Dhaka. They have also categorically denied that Tulip ever obtained a Bangladeshi national identity card. They claim that she only obtained a Bangladeshi passport as a child.
Her sources also say it is “highly suspicious” that the ID card is not in the new ‘smart card’ format. Because if it were a smart card, it would have been “easily traceable and verifiable.”
There are concerns that the documents could be used against Tulip, the MP for Hampstead and Highgate in the UK, in an ongoing corruption case in Bangladesh, where she is being tried in absentia.
The case alleges that Tulip influenced her aunt Sheikh Hasina to get plots allotted to her mother, brother and sister.
Tulip’s parents are both Bangladeshi citizens, which means she has dual citizenship in the UK and Bangladesh.
A spokesperson for Tulip Siddique’s legal firm Stephenson Harwood told the UK’s Financial Times earlier this year that Tulip had never had a Bangladeshi national identity card or voter ID. She has not held a Bangladeshi passport since childhood.
Over the past few years, Tulip has made various statements about its involvement with Bangladesh.
Get real time update about this post category directly on your device, subscribe now.
