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Sajeeb Wazed, son of ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has dismissed allegations of corruption and embezzlement in the awarding of a $12.65 billion nuclear power contract in 2015 as “completely bogus” and part of a “smear campaign.”
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh announced on Monday that it had initiated an inquiry into claims of corruption, embezzlement, and money laundering related to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project. The project, backed by Russia’s state-owned Rosatom, involves the construction of two power plants with a combined capacity of 2,400 megawatts.
The ACC alleged financial irregularities amounting to $5 billion involving Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed, her niece Tulip Siddiq (a British treasury minister), and offshore accounts. Siddiq and Rosatom have not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment. However, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that Siddiq denied the allegations and retained the prime minister’s confidence.
Wazed, speaking from Washington, where he resides, said the allegations were part of a political vendetta. “These are completely bogus allegations and a smear campaign. My family nor I have ever been involved or taken any money from any government projects,” he told Reuters.
He also dismissed the feasibility of the claims, stating, “It is not possible to siphon off billions from a $10 billion project. We also don’t have any offshore accounts. I have been living in the US for 30 years, my aunt and cousins in the UK for a similar amount of time. We obviously have accounts here, but none of us have ever seen that kind of money.”
Rosatom had earlier refuted allegations of corruption, asserting its commitment to transparency, strict anti-corruption policies, and openness in procurement processes.
The controversy comes amidst political turmoil in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi in early August after a deadly uprising and has not been seen in public since. The Bangladeshi interim government confirmed on Monday that it had requested India to send Hasina back. India has acknowledged the request but declined further comment.
Wazed stated that the family has yet to decide on Hasina’s return to Bangladesh and clarified that New Delhi had not asked her to seek asylum elsewhere.
