Md Akmal
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2010
- Messages
- 2,114
- Reaction score
- 1
- Country
- Location
The World Bank has hinted that the withdrawal of the decision to suspend fund disbursement for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge was unlikely in the tenure of the present government, said a senior secretary.
The hint was made by the Washington-based global lender while replying to finance minister AMA Muhiths letter on the measures that the government had taken against the alleged corruption in the bidding
process of the multi-billion dollar project, said a secretary of the government.
The WB told the finance minister that it would wait until the outcome of the probe by the Anti-Corruption Commission that is now in progress.
Muhith last month asked the multilateral lender to withdraw the suspension of the disbursement of the $1.2 billion loan.
The secretary, quoting an unofficial communication, also said the WB has adopted a stringent policy to deal with alleged corruption in the big infrastructure projects of the country.
The WBs top executives told their junior colleagues in Dhaka to remain inactive with regard to the Padma Bridge until the conclusion of the ACCs probe and investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Allegations of corruption in the bidding process of the main bridge were made by the WB, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has already launched investigation into corruption in the bidding process for appointment of a supervision consultant.
The ACCs officials said that they take 30 working days, as per the rules, to complete the primary enquiry of any allegation, but available data suggests that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police might take at least two years to finish the probe.
The government, so far, has not taken any convincing measures which may lead the World Bank to withdraw suspension of fund disbursement.
The WB, which agreed to lend $1.2 billion for the $2.9 billion project, suspended release of $1.345 billion until the allegation of corruption in the bidding process for is finally dealt with.
The WBs integrity vice-president, Leonard F McCarthy, on September 21 handed over a confidential letter and the INTs investigation report on corruption in the Padma bridge project to Muhith in Washington.
The investigation report said that communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and SAHCO, his family-owned company, sought to coerce several companies into using SAHCO as a paid silent agent for getting permission to bid for the main bridge contract of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.
The companies that would not cooperate were threatened with retaliation, said the report.
The report said that as many as a dozen of confidential eyewitness provided the World Bank with materials against Abul Hossain and SAHCO.
The INT of the World Bank interviewed representatives of many companies who spoke to the INT on a confidential basis because they feared physical and economic reprisal, said the report.
One confidential witness told INT that the company s/he worked for received a visit from an individual claiming to work for SAHCO, who said he was taking instructions directly from minister Hossain. According to this confidential witness, the SAHCO representative said that in exchange for a specified percentage of the contract value, Hossain would help the company in the PQ [pre-qualifying] process for the Padma Main Bridge Contract. The confidential witness subsequently identified the person from SAHCO in a photograph, stating that this was the individual who had contacted them, the report read.
Another source told INT that when a company refused to employ SAHCO as a silent agent, the minister threatened the company with retaliation.
As many as a dozen of confidential eyewitnesses provided the World Bank with information against communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and his family-owned company SAHCO, the report added.
The INT met a representative of that company who was in a position to have first-hand knowledge of the alleged coercion and threatened retaliation. This confidential witness expressed reluctance to discuss the matter due to fear of possible adverse employment action and retaliation on the part of minister Hossain -- who s/he described as very powerful. Ultimately, this confidential witness confirmed what the source had told INT, the report added.
The hint was made by the Washington-based global lender while replying to finance minister AMA Muhiths letter on the measures that the government had taken against the alleged corruption in the bidding
process of the multi-billion dollar project, said a secretary of the government.
The WB told the finance minister that it would wait until the outcome of the probe by the Anti-Corruption Commission that is now in progress.
Muhith last month asked the multilateral lender to withdraw the suspension of the disbursement of the $1.2 billion loan.
The secretary, quoting an unofficial communication, also said the WB has adopted a stringent policy to deal with alleged corruption in the big infrastructure projects of the country.
The WBs top executives told their junior colleagues in Dhaka to remain inactive with regard to the Padma Bridge until the conclusion of the ACCs probe and investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Allegations of corruption in the bidding process of the main bridge were made by the WB, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has already launched investigation into corruption in the bidding process for appointment of a supervision consultant.
The ACCs officials said that they take 30 working days, as per the rules, to complete the primary enquiry of any allegation, but available data suggests that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police might take at least two years to finish the probe.
The government, so far, has not taken any convincing measures which may lead the World Bank to withdraw suspension of fund disbursement.
The WB, which agreed to lend $1.2 billion for the $2.9 billion project, suspended release of $1.345 billion until the allegation of corruption in the bidding process for is finally dealt with.
The WBs integrity vice-president, Leonard F McCarthy, on September 21 handed over a confidential letter and the INTs investigation report on corruption in the Padma bridge project to Muhith in Washington.
The investigation report said that communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and SAHCO, his family-owned company, sought to coerce several companies into using SAHCO as a paid silent agent for getting permission to bid for the main bridge contract of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.
The companies that would not cooperate were threatened with retaliation, said the report.
The report said that as many as a dozen of confidential eyewitness provided the World Bank with materials against Abul Hossain and SAHCO.
The INT of the World Bank interviewed representatives of many companies who spoke to the INT on a confidential basis because they feared physical and economic reprisal, said the report.
One confidential witness told INT that the company s/he worked for received a visit from an individual claiming to work for SAHCO, who said he was taking instructions directly from minister Hossain. According to this confidential witness, the SAHCO representative said that in exchange for a specified percentage of the contract value, Hossain would help the company in the PQ [pre-qualifying] process for the Padma Main Bridge Contract. The confidential witness subsequently identified the person from SAHCO in a photograph, stating that this was the individual who had contacted them, the report read.
Another source told INT that when a company refused to employ SAHCO as a silent agent, the minister threatened the company with retaliation.
As many as a dozen of confidential eyewitnesses provided the World Bank with information against communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and his family-owned company SAHCO, the report added.
The INT met a representative of that company who was in a position to have first-hand knowledge of the alleged coercion and threatened retaliation. This confidential witness expressed reluctance to discuss the matter due to fear of possible adverse employment action and retaliation on the part of minister Hossain -- who s/he described as very powerful. Ultimately, this confidential witness confirmed what the source had told INT, the report added.
