Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on Monday stressed that the obstacles to begin Padma bridge’s construction work were removed through suing seven people for their alleged involvement in the graft conspiracy in the project.
“The case has been filed. Work on the Padma bridge work will begin now,” he told reporters after a function at the LGED auditorium at the capital’s Agargaon in the evening.
As journalists swarmed him for comment on the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission, he said, “No comment. Ask the ACC.”
As the media people were unrelenting, he only repeated that the construction of the biggest infrastructural project would begin now as the case had been filed.
“Read the case details. You will understand everything,” he said.
Earlier at noon, the ACC sued seven, including high-ranking government officials, for ‘conspiring to exchange bribes’ to make Canadian construction firm SNC Lavalin consultant for the project.
The long-awaited move from ACC, however, further overshadows the fate of Padma bridge as former Communication Minister Syed Abul Hossain and former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury were left out of list of accused.
The project’s major financier, the World Bank’s external panel had ended its second visit inconclusive early this month over the national anti-graft agency’s reported reluctance to implicate the duo as per the suggestion of its own inquiry committee.
ACC Deputy Director Abdullah Al Zahid filed the case with Banani Police, 12 days after the panel left Dhaka.
The accused list, however, includes former Bridges Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, who is currently on leave following the global lender’s condition, as the prime accused.
The other six accused are Superintending Engineer of the Bridge Authority Kazi Mohammad Ferdous, Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer (Bridge Construction and Maintenance Division-4) Riaz Ahmed Zaber and four SNC-Lavalin officials.
They are – Deputy Managing Director of Bangladeshi firm Engineering and Planning Consultant and Local Sub Consultant of SNC-Lavalin Mohammad Mostafa, former Director of International Project Division Mohammad Ismail, former Vice-President of the International Project Division Ramesh Shah and former Vice-President and General Manager of SNC-Lavalin’s Energy & Industrial Business Unit Kevin Wallace.
“The accused made all arrangements to help SNC Lavalin win the tender to supervise the construction of Padma bridge as a consultant through mutual collaboration. They have committed punishable offences under section 161 of the Penal Code and the 1947 law to prevent corruption,” said Banani Police Station’s Officer in-Charge Bhuiyan Mahbub Hasan quoting the first information report.
According to the report, the ‘exchange of bribes’ was supposed to take place on the Canadian construction giant winning the job.
Regarding the two former ministers Abul Hossain and Abul Hasan, the FIR said the ACC co
uld not gather sufficient evidence to establish their roles behind the ‘conspiracy to exchange bribe.’
The matter will be looked into further during investigations. According to rules, ACC files a case after its inquiry substantiates an allegation, followed by a full-fledged investigation before pressing charges in the court.
Source: Bd News24
