Two employees of Nurek HPP charged with large-scale embezzlement

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against two financial responsible employees – Ms. Olga Shishparenko and Mr. Lutfullo Rahmatulloyev — of the Nurek hydroelectric power plant (HPP) over the fact of a large-scale embezzlement of funds.

According to the press center of the Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption under the President of Tajikistan, their illegal actions were revealed during the inspection of financial and economic activities of the Nurek HPP.   

The inspection has reportedly established that Shishparenko and Rahmatulloyev, using 38 plastic cards, embezzled 2,383,100 somonis of wages of the HPP personnel.  

Shishparenko and Rahmatulloyev have reimbursed 1,818,500 somonis, the anticorruption agency press center says.  

Criminal proceedings have been instituted against them under the provisions of two articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code: Article 245 (4) – a large scale embezzlement, and Article 323 – service forgery; an investigation is under way.  Shishparenko and Rahmatulloyev reportedly face a 15-year jail term each, the anticorruption agency press center noted.   

The Nurek HPP, with an installed capacity of over 3,000 megawatts, generates about 50 percent of total annual energy demanded in Tajikistan.