Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son and advisor, Sajeeb Wazed, said that the graft probe is nothing but ‘completely bogus’ and a ‘smear campaign’. He said it is not possible to siphon off so much money, and that their family has never seen this kind of money.
Wazed, who spoke on behalf of the family said they were targets of a political witch hunt in Bangladesh. "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…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,” said Wazed to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Hasina herself has not been seen in public since she fled the country for New Delhi in early August.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE GRAFT CASE?
Hasina and her family have been accused of embezzling $5 billion in the Rooppur nuclear power plant. A high court questioned the Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) inaction over an alleged transfer of $5 billion from the power plant to a Malaysian bank by Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and her niece and the UK's Treasury minister, Tulip Siddiq. The ACC said that it has launched an enquiry into the allegations of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering in the power plant.
The $12.65 billion nuclear power contract – a deal for two power plants, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW – was signed in 2015. The plant was backed by Russia's state-owned Rosatom.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Tulip Siddiq has denied any involvement, and that she would continue in her role as the treasury minister. Meanwhile, Rosatam had earlier denied the allegations of corruption.