Labour MP faces verdict in Bangladesh trial over corruption allegations

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq volition larn her destiny successful a corruption proceedings successful Bangladesh linked to her aunt, the country's erstwhile premier minister. 

Ms Siddiq is accused of obtaining plots of onshore from her aunt successful Dhaka's diplomatic zone, done "abuse of powerfulness and influence".

She is being tried successful absentia with a verdict expected connected Monday morning.

Her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted past twelvemonth and has since been sentenced to death, though she fled to India earlier she could beryllium arrested.

Ms Siddiq, her niece, has described herself arsenic "collateral damage" successful the caller government's run against Sheikh Hasina.

She resigned her ministerial station earlier this year after she was accused of illegally receiving a crippled of onshore from her aunt.

Although an probe by the premier minister's morals advisor did not find "evidence of improprieties", helium said it was "regrettable" that Ms Siddiq had not been much alert to the "potential reputational risks" of the ties to her aunt.

Last week, a radical of salient British lawyers and erstwhile furniture ministers wrote an unfastened missive raising "profound concerns" implicit Ms Siddiq's proceedings successful Bangladesh.

Barrister Cherie Blair, who is joined to ex-prime curate Tony Blair, Sir Robert Buckland, who served arsenic justness secretary, and Dominic Grieve, an ex-attorney general, wrote that the transgression proceedings against Ms Siddiq were "artificial and a contrived and unfair mode of pursuing a prosecution".

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The lawyers wrote that Ms Siddiq did not person a "proper accidental of defending herself".

"She is being tried successful her lack without justification and… the proceedings autumn acold abbreviated of standards of fairness recognised internationally," they said.

The missive was besides signed by high-profile lawyers Philippe Sands and Geoffrey Robertson.

They called for the Bangladeshi authorities to enactment each the allegations to Ms Siddiq's lawyers "so that she has a just accidental to code them".