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Hossain, Hasan spared as 7 sued | Business | bdnews24.com
Dhaka, Dec 17 (bdnews24.com)The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday finally sued seven, including high-ranking government officials, for 'conspiring to exchange bribes' to make Canadian construction firm SNC Lavalin consultant for the Padma bridge project.
The move further overshadows the fate of Padma bridge as former Communication Minister Syed Abul Hossain and State Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1996 Hasina government, Abul Hasan Chowdhury, are not on the list of accused.
The World Bank's external panel ended its second visit inconclusive early this month over the national antigraft agency's reported reluctance to implicate the two as per the suggestion of its own inquiry committee.
On Dec 8, after the visit, the World Bank said it would not disburse its pledged loan of $1.2 billion if the graft allegation was not probed "fairly and thoroughly."
ACC Deputy Director Abdullah Al Zahid accused the seven in a case filed with Banani Police. The accused list, however, includes Bridges Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, who is currently on forced-leave, as the prime accused.
The other six accused are Superintending Engineer of the Bridges Division Kazi Mohammad Ferdous, Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer Riaz Ahmed Zaber and four SNC Lavalin officials Mohammad Mostafa, Ramesh Shaha, Mohammad Ismail and Kevin Wallace.
Mostafa is the Deputy Managing Director of Bangladeshi firm Engineering and Planning Consultant.
"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 could 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.
The World Bank postponed its pledged loan in September last year raising allegations over appointment of a consultant to supervise it. The global lender alleged high-ranking government officials were involved in graft as the project was underway.
The government and the then Communication Minister Hossain dismissed the allegations outright. On one occasion, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself corroborated Hossain's claim of innocence, and dubbed him a 'patriot.'
The World Bank went back on its pledge to fund the bridge in June this year, enraging further the government which announced the bridge would be built by own fund collected through donation and other ways.
Ending months of speculations, the global lender, however, returned to the project after Hossain was removed from the Communication Ministry, and Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Advisor Mashiur Rahman and the Bridges Division Bhuiyan were sent on leave.
A deal was struck between the government and the World Bank, and a three-member panel led by Luis Moreno-Ocampo, former Chief Prosecutor of International Criminal Court, was allowed to oversee the ACC investigation as part of it.
The panel had visited Dhaka once before and the fate of the project hinges on the report of this panel.
The ACC questioned 29 people during its inquiry including Hossain and Hasan, some of them more than once.
Though the anti-graft watchdog had said earlier that there had been no corruption in the project, its Chairman Ghulam Hossain on Nov 27 this year admitted traces of a 'conspiracy to exchange bribe'.
On Dec 4, the commission's inquiry committee submitted its report and recommended filing cases over the graft. Hossain on that day had said less than 10 had been recommended to be accused in the case.
He said they were having difficulties to reach a consensus with the World Bank panel, which was visiting the country at the moment, over the list of accused, and that he was under 'mental pressure.'
The World Bank experts apparently left unsatisfied and undecided. It was also announced by the Washington-based lender that they would make a decision over the matter once it was settled by the ACC.
Dhaka, Dec 17 (bdnews24.com)The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday finally sued seven, including high-ranking government officials, for 'conspiring to exchange bribes' to make Canadian construction firm SNC Lavalin consultant for the Padma bridge project.
The move further overshadows the fate of Padma bridge as former Communication Minister Syed Abul Hossain and State Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1996 Hasina government, Abul Hasan Chowdhury, are not on the list of accused.
The World Bank's external panel ended its second visit inconclusive early this month over the national antigraft agency's reported reluctance to implicate the two as per the suggestion of its own inquiry committee.
On Dec 8, after the visit, the World Bank said it would not disburse its pledged loan of $1.2 billion if the graft allegation was not probed "fairly and thoroughly."
ACC Deputy Director Abdullah Al Zahid accused the seven in a case filed with Banani Police. The accused list, however, includes Bridges Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, who is currently on forced-leave, as the prime accused.
The other six accused are Superintending Engineer of the Bridges Division Kazi Mohammad Ferdous, Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer Riaz Ahmed Zaber and four SNC Lavalin officials Mohammad Mostafa, Ramesh Shaha, Mohammad Ismail and Kevin Wallace.
Mostafa is the Deputy Managing Director of Bangladeshi firm Engineering and Planning Consultant.
"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 could 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.
The World Bank postponed its pledged loan in September last year raising allegations over appointment of a consultant to supervise it. The global lender alleged high-ranking government officials were involved in graft as the project was underway.
The government and the then Communication Minister Hossain dismissed the allegations outright. On one occasion, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself corroborated Hossain's claim of innocence, and dubbed him a 'patriot.'
The World Bank went back on its pledge to fund the bridge in June this year, enraging further the government which announced the bridge would be built by own fund collected through donation and other ways.
Ending months of speculations, the global lender, however, returned to the project after Hossain was removed from the Communication Ministry, and Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Advisor Mashiur Rahman and the Bridges Division Bhuiyan were sent on leave.
A deal was struck between the government and the World Bank, and a three-member panel led by Luis Moreno-Ocampo, former Chief Prosecutor of International Criminal Court, was allowed to oversee the ACC investigation as part of it.
The panel had visited Dhaka once before and the fate of the project hinges on the report of this panel.
The ACC questioned 29 people during its inquiry including Hossain and Hasan, some of them more than once.
Though the anti-graft watchdog had said earlier that there had been no corruption in the project, its Chairman Ghulam Hossain on Nov 27 this year admitted traces of a 'conspiracy to exchange bribe'.
On Dec 4, the commission's inquiry committee submitted its report and recommended filing cases over the graft. Hossain on that day had said less than 10 had been recommended to be accused in the case.
He said they were having difficulties to reach a consensus with the World Bank panel, which was visiting the country at the moment, over the list of accused, and that he was under 'mental pressure.'
The World Bank experts apparently left unsatisfied and undecided. It was also announced by the Washington-based lender that they would make a decision over the matter once it was settled by the ACC.
