TDS Desk:

Sajeeb Wajed Joy, son and adviser of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on Tuesday dismissed allegations of corruption involving the family in the 2015 awarding of a $12.65 billion nuclear power contract as “completely bogus” and a “smear campaign,” Reuters reports.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday launched an inquiry into allegations of corruption, embezzlement, and money laundering in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, backed by Russia’s state-owned Rosatom.

A deal for two power plants, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, was signed in 2015.

The ACC alleged financial irregularities amounting to $5 billion involving Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed, and her niece, British Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq, through offshore accounts.

Tulip Siddiq and Rosatom did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Siddiq had denied any involvement in the claims and that he had confidence in her. Siddiq would continue in her role, the spokesperson added.

In August, Bangladeshi media quoted Rosatam as rejecting an earlier media allegation of corruption, saying it was “committed to transparent working practices, strict anti-corruption policies, and openness in all procurement processes”.

Wazed, speaking on behalf of the family, said they were the targets of a political witch hunt in Bangladesh.

The government in Dhaka said on Monday it had asked India to send Hasina back. New Delhi has confirmed the request but declined further comment

“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 from Washington, where he lives.

“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.”

Reuters could not contact Hasina, who has not been seen in public since fleeing to New Delhi in early August following a deadly uprising against her in Bangladesh. Since then, an interim government has been running the country.

The government in Dhaka said on Monday it had asked India to send Hasina back. New Delhi has confirmed the request but declined further comment.

Wazeb said the family had not made a decision on Hasina’s return to Bangladesh and that New Delhi had not asked her to seek asylum elsewhere.