Financial irregularities worth five billion US dollars have been alleged in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project. Allegations of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering in the project have created a huge stir in Bangladesh. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has started an investigation into the matter. A five-member special investigation team is looking into the allegations.
According to information received from various open sources, financial irregularities worth about five billion US dollars have occurred in the project. The complaint states that former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, her son SajeebWazed Joy and niece Tulip Siddique have embezzled this money from the project through various offshore bank accounts in Malaysia.
It has been claimed that this money was embezzled by overstating the cost of the project of $12.65 billion.
In addition, there have been some other allegations related to Tulip Siddique’s family. His uncle Tariq Ahmed Siddique, who is the Prime Minister’s security advisor, and his family members are accused of laundering around $900 million through shell companies Prachhaya Limited and Destiny Group. The money was laundered to various countries, including the UK, and another company named Jumana Invest and Properties Limited was formed in the UK.
In addition, British Labour Party MP Tulip Siddique has been accused of having a secret relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Although the Rooppur project was started to meet the growing energy demand of Bangladesh, it has been highly controversial due to allegations of corruption, mismanagement and abuse of power. If these allegations are proven, it will be considered a serious blow to the public interest and management of public funds in the country.
In addition, a new discussion has started on the allegations of laundering $300 million to the United States against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her son SajeebWazed Joy. SajeebWazedJoy’s name first came up as a suspect in money laundering in the United States v. Rizvi Ahmed case in 2014. Later, the investigation by the US intelligence agency found information about financial scams against him.
The investigation revealed that money was transferred from various offshore bank accounts in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands to various bank accounts in Washington and New York, USA, and London, UK. It is alleged that these transactions were conducted through local money exchanges. The US intelligence agency confirmed this information through its representative in London and found evidence of serious financial irregularities and money laundering against SajeebWazed Joy.
In addition, the US Department of Justice’s Senior Trial Attorney Linda Samuels contacted Special Agent La Prevot and learned that $300 million had been transferred from Bangladesh to various bank accounts in the United States.
In addition, an investigation has been launched against Sheikh Hasina, her son SajeebWazed Joy, her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, and Rehana’s daughter Tulip Siddique for alleged corruption of Tk 80,000 crore. The complaint states that this corruption occurred in 9 projects during the Awami League government from 2009 to 2023, including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project and the Special Shelter Project.
The special investigation team has already collected basic information about the suspects from the Election Commission office and the Immigration and Passport Department. In addition, a special demand letter has been sent to the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), where the relevant persons have been directed to provide documents and transaction details of offshore bank accounts. If these allegations are proven, it is believed to create a major challenge in the financial sector and public fund management of Bangladesh.
