NEW DELHI: Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son and adviser Sajeeb Wazed on Tuesday outlined corruption allegations involving the family in the 2015 award of a $12.65 billion nuclear power contract as “completely false” and a “smear campaign.”
Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission said on Monday it had launched an investigation into allegations of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering in the Rooppur nuclear power plant project, backed by Russian state-owned company Rosatom.
In 2015, an agreement was signed for two power plants, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts.
The commission has alleged that there were financial irregularities worth about $5 billion involving Hasina, her son Wazed and her niece and British Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq, through offshore accounts.
Rosatom, the world’s largest supplier of enriched uranium, refuted the allegations, adding that it was committed to fighting corruption in all its projects and maintains a transparent procurement system.
“Rosatom State Corporation is willing to defend its interests and reputation in court,” it said in a statement emailed to Reuters.
“We consider the false statements in the media to be an attempt to discredit the Rooppur NPP project, which is being implemented to solve the country’s power supply problems and aims to improve the welfare of the people of Bangladesh “reads the statement.
Siddiq did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Siddiq had denied any involvement in the allegations and that he had confidence in her. He will continue in his position, the spokesperson added.
Wazed, speaking on behalf of the family, said they were the target of a political witch hunt in Bangladesh.
“These are completely false accusations and a smear campaign. Neither my family nor I have been involved in or received money from any government project,” he said. Reuters from Washington, where he lives.
“It is not possible to divert billions from a $10 billion project. We also have no offshore accounts. I have lived in America for 30 years, my aunt and cousins in the UK for a similar time. Obviously we have accounts here, but none of us have ever seen that amount of money,” he said.
Reuters He was unable to contact Hasina, who has not been seen in public since she fled to New Delhi in early August following a deadly uprising against her in Bangladesh. Since then, an interim government has been ruling the country.
The Dhaka government said on Monday it had asked India to send Hasina back. New Delhi confirmed the request but declined to comment further.
Wazeb said the family had not made a decision about Hasina’s return to Bangladesh and that New Delhi had not asked her to seek asylum elsewhere.
