The World Bank on Tuesday handed over to the government its final probe report into the corruption conspiracy in the Padma bridge project.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, who received the report from WB Country Director Johannes Zutt, said he was unsure whether the government would reveal it or not.
Zutt handed over the report to Muhith at his Secretariat office Tuesday morning.
While talking to reporters later, the finance minister said he could not say anything about the contents “since I have yet to open it”.
Though he was not sure whether the government would disclose what is in the report, the finance minister told reporters that he had given the WB approval for publishing the report on its website.
Meantime, the WB country director said the Bangladesh government can build Padma bridge with its own funds.
“We will not get involved in financing the Padma bridge. But we recognise the importance of the project,” Zutt told reporters after the two-hour meeting with the finance minister.
“Obviously, the government has its own budget to finance the bridge,” he said.
Zutt informed that World Bank will grant US$1.6 billion as loan to Bangladesh for the current fiscal year and the same amount for the next fiscal.
“I have discussed the lending programme of World Bank in Bangladesh with the finance minister,” he said.
He termed the macroeconomic management in Bangladesh as excellent.
An external panel of the World Bank visited Dhaka twice in October and December last year to investigation into the allegation.
During its visits, the panel held talks with the Anti-Corruption Commission to know its progress in investigating the alleged corruption.
The WB cancelled its $1.2 billion funding on June 29, saying it had proof of a “corruption conspiracy” involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and some individuals.
The global lender on September 21 decided to revive the loan after the Bangladesh government agreed to the WB’s terms and conditions.
The global lender on September 21 decided to revive the loan after the Bangladesh government agreed to the WB’s terms and conditions.
Later, the government withdrew its request for the World Bank’s Padma bridge loan and communicated the decision to the global lender after the WB president in Washington said the financing for the project would not go ahead unless certain conditions were met.
Source: The Daily Star
