Labour MP and former minister Tulip Siddiq has described her two-year prison sentence in Bangladesh as 'deeply unfair' after a court convicted her in her absence on corruption charges.
She was found guilty of influencing her aunt, Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure a plot of land for her family in the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, a claim she strongly denies.
Siddiq, who is based in London and has rejected the charges, is unlikely to serve the jail term.
The Labour MP said the process had been 'flawed and farcical from the beginning to the end'.
She added, 'I'm absolutely baffled by the whole thing - I've still had no contact whatsoever from the Bangladeshi authorities despite them spreading malicious allegations about me for a year-and-a-half now.'
She expressed her frustrations about the lack of formal notification regarding the trial proceedings and maintained that she felt as though she was in a 'Kafkaesque nightmare'.
Despite the conviction, Siddiq maintains that no credible evidence has been presented, which has led to her being supported by her party, with senior legal figures questioning the fairness of the trial.
The verdict comes amid turbulent political undercurrents in Bangladesh, as Siddiq continues to face multiple charges and investigations relating to her family ties.
