Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytskiy has dismissed reports alleging that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina embezzled $5 billion from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project as false rumors.
In a press briefing following a meeting with interim government’s Finance and Commerce Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed on Sunday afternoon, Mantytski stated that $5 billion is a substantial amount and that there is no opportunity to divert such a large sum from an ongoing project.
Earlier, the meeting took place at the Economic Adviser’s conference room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.
When asked about the allegations of financial misappropriation from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Mantytski said, "No one is crazy enough to give away such a large amount of money. It’s rumors and completely false. The plot for these rumors was created before the parliamentary elections in Bangladesh last January."
The ambassador added that discussions have taken place with the new interim government, and Russia will continue to support Bangladesh in all financial and developmental aspects moving forward.
Last week, a report by Global Defense Corp claimed that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had embezzled over $500 million from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. The report alleged that the project implementation agency, Rosatom, facilitated this embezzlement through a Malaysian bank, with intermediaries including Sheikh Hasina’s niece, Tulip Siddiq.
