Dhaka, Mar 15 (UNB) – The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) is going to prepare the charge-sheet of the much-talked-about Padma Bridge corruption case including the names of the key graft suspects, according to ACC officials.
“The ACC is trying to collect the documents of graft evidence of the Padma Bridge project, which is preserved by the Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP) to include the names of key graft suspects of the Padma Bridge project in the charge-sheet of the corruption case,” an ACC investigation officer told UNB preferring anonymity.
He said the ACC investigation team has almost completed the investigation into the Padma graft case in its Bangladesh part, but the team is waiting for the Canadian documents to finish the job.
The investigation officer said the graft watchdog has already sent mutual legal assistance requests (MLARs) to the Canadian government through the Attorney General Office seeking the graft evidence. “However, the Canadian government has not yet replied to the MLARs.”
“We’re directly communicating with the Royal Canadian Mountain Police to collect the documents. We’ve sent several letters to the RCMP and they replied our letters.”
He said since the World Bank suspended its promised credit deal (US$ 1.2 billion) on the ground of corruption conspiracy in the process of appointing a consultant to the US$ 2.9 billion infrastructure project, the Commission is negotiating with the global lender so that it persuades the Canadian government to provide the graft evidence to the ACC.
“The World Bank has assured that the Canadian documents will be given to us,” the ACC official said.
On December 17 last year, the ACC filed a case against seven people for their alleged involvement in the Padma Bridge project dropping the names of key suspects former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain and former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, two top officials of SNC Lavalin (a Canadian consultancy firm, which participated in bidding to get work of the Padma Bridge project) — Mohammad Ismail, former director of SNC Lavalin, and Ramesh Shah, former vice president of firm, — are currently facing trial in the Canadian court on changes of graft in the project.
The Royal Canadian Mountain Police earlier seized Ramesh’s diary where he had mentioned Syed Abul Hossain as the recipient of 4 percent out of 10 percent (Tk 38 crore) bribe from the supervision work money and the ACC is trying to collect the copy of the diary.
ACC top officials said it will take time to complete the investigation into the Padma graft case as a case filed against two officials of SNC Lavalin in Canada will be placed before court in April next.
Source: UNBConnect
