DUSHANBE, January 26, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Non-publication of information about the quantity of shares in Roghun they have sold undermines reputation of the government, Ghulomiddin Sayfiddinov, an expert on Tajikistan’s energy sector, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

“If this information is not made public, people think, first of all, that are being deceived again, bearing in mind the construction of the Sangtuda-1 HPP,” the expert said.

“The government also began to sell shares to people and open funds to support the construction of the Sangtuda-1 station that time,” noted Sayfiddinov, “However, this station now belongs to Russia and nobody can give persuasive explanations today where the funds raised from the public have got to.”

According to him, if the government wants the people to trust the ministry of finance and banks it is necessary to inform people of where their money have gone and how the funds raised for the construction of Roghun HPP will be used.

He added that it could not be ruled out that unwillingness of the country’s authorities to make information about the quantity of Roghun shares they have sold to this day public was connected with embezzlement of funds.  “Non-transparency is a fertile breeding ground for corruption and untargeted use of funds, you know,” the expert noted.