Staff Reporter :
The government now steps in to constitute a probe commission to find out the real conspirators who engineered ‘false graft allegations’ over the Padma Bridge construction contract.
With submitting a report on such allegations to a High Court Bench on Tuesday on behalf of the state, a process on formation of an Inquiry Commission started. The High Court Bench consists of justices Quazi Reza-ul Hoque and Mohammad Ullah.
The report was submitted by Assistant Attorney General Titus Hillol Rema. Besides, the Road and Bridges Division prayed to the court to enlist it as a party in the rule. The court fixed July 3 for the next hearing.
Earlier on March 20, the High Court had given the government 90 days to file an update over any measures against those who made ‘false graft allegations’ over the Padma Bridge project.
The court ordered the Cabinet Secretary, Secretaries to the Law, Home Affairs ministries and the Bridges Division, Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman and Inspector General of Police to file a report within May 7.
On February 15, the court issued a rule asking why it would not instruct the government to form a committee or a commission to find out the ‘conspirators’ in line with the 1956 Inquiry Act and other related laws. The respondents to the ruling were also asked for explanations in two weeks.
The HC issued the rule following a report published in a Bengali daily demanding the trial of Professor Muhammad Yunus and seeking apology by the World Bank and Transparency International Bangladesh.
The World Bank raised the allegation of corruption in execution of the Padma Bridge project and suspended funding. Bangladesh was forced to withdraw funding request and is now implementing the project on its own resources.
A case was started at a Canada court against SNC-Lavalin, accusing the company of bribing Bangladeshi officials to secure contracts in the Padma Bridge project in 2010-11. After a long process, the Canadian court acquitted the three employees of Canada-based SNC Lavalin of the bribing charges. The verdict said the evidence produced in the case was “nothing more than assumptions and rumours.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the allegations were part of a conspiracy and claimed some Bangladesh nationals were involved in it.
In the Parliament, the PM blamed Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus for using the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to disrupt World Bank funding. The editor of a national newspaper was also blamed for the conspiracy.
Prior to it, the then Communication Minister Abul Hossain was forced to resign following allegations of his involvement in the scam. Former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury also faced similar allegations. Former Bridge Division Secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan was sent to jail over the case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission in a probe found no evidence against them. The Padma bridge graft case was dismissed in 2014 after ACC submitted its final probe report. The court acquitted seven, including the Secretary, of the charges.
