Bangladesh has started an investigation into the Russian-backed Ruppur nuclear project

A view of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh. file

Bangladesh’s anti-corruption organization has started an investigation into the $12.65 billion Ruppur nuclear project, which is being built with the help of Russia. In the statement of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh, it is alleged that financial irregularities of about 5 billion US dollars have been discovered in the project which has been running for more than a decade.

“The report accused Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajib Ahmed Wazed Joy and niece Tulip Siddique – of embezzling $5 billion of the overvalued $12.65 billion Rooppur nuclear power plant through various offshore bank accounts in Malaysia,” the Anti-Corruption Commission said. is announced in a statement.

In the United Kingdom, Labor MP Tulip Siddiqui has faced scrutiny in the UK since the fall of her aunt Sheikh Hasina’s government, with her father Tariq involved in an elaborate scheme to embezzle money, the commission said. Ahmad Siddiqui. “Tulip Siddiqui and his family members are stakeholders in a company called Prochhaya, which together with Destiny Group, laundered $900 million,” the allegation said.

first, The Sunday Times It has been reported in the UK that UK Treasury Economic Secretary Tulip Siddique has been questioned by the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team over allegations of siphoning around £3.9 billion from the Rooppur nuclear power plant project. Ms Siddiqui’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, is Sheikh Hasina’s younger sister, and was flown to India in a Bangladeshi military helicopter on August 5 when the Awami League government fell in Dhaka.

The under-construction Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is located 160 km from Dhaka and is one of the largest nuclear projects under construction by the Russian nuclear company Rosatom. Contracts to build the power plant began in February 2011 leading to a preliminary agreement between Rosatomm and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission in December 2015.

The Bangladesh Nuclear Regulatory Authority then issued the first site license for the plant in June 2016. The project has been under construction since 2017 and the first unit of the nuclear power project is expected to be completed in 2025. Once fully operational, the power plant will generate 2400 MW of electricity.

The project has been in the international spotlight due to the Western sanctions that Russia has been facing since the war in Ukraine began. To dispel doubts, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Dhaka in September 2023 when he assured the then Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen of Russia’s commitment to complete the project on time.

“Our major joint project is the construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant on Bangladesh soil. The project is progressing smoothly according to schedule, and delivery and charging of the first nuclear fuel is expected in early October,” Mr. Lavrov said after meeting with Foreign Minister Momen. The project led to a tripartite agreement between Russia, Bangladesh and India that was signed in March 2018.

The Ruppur power project led to a tripartite agreement between India, Bangladesh and Russia in March 2018 when India’s nuclear players such as NPCIL began cooperating in the construction of the units.