The ministry of foreign affairs refuted the claim that the USAID awarded an organisation in Bangladesh with $29 million which was owned by only two individuals.
Recently, US president Donald Trump made the remark about strengthening political landscape project in Bangladesh, leading to widespread confusion.
In response, MoFA conducted an investigation into the matter, said a statement of the ministry on Monday.
鈥楾he allegations that the project was awarded to an organisation owned by two individuals from Bangladesh are baseless,鈥� said the statement as per findings of the foreign ministry鈥檚 investigation.
During president Trump鈥檚 first term, the statement said that the USAID selected Democracy International, a US registered organisation, to implement the SPL project.
Multiple international organisations participated in the bidding process, and the USAID followed a transparent and competitive procedure before awarding the contract, said the statement.
After signing of the agreement in March 2017, Democracy International began implementing the SPL project. Initially, the project was for five-year duration with a budget of $14 million, which was later extended with funding disbursed in phases.
It was managed by the USAID and co-funded by the UK鈥檚 development agency, DFID, now FCDO. DFID had committed $10 million to the project, said the ministry鈥檚 statement.
The primary objectives of the SPL project included reducing political violence, fostering peace and harmony, promoting peaceful coexistence among political parties, enhancing their institutional capacity, strengthening internal democratic practices, and encouraging representative leadership.
As part of its activities, Democracy International also conducted survey programmes in Bangladesh.
The foreign ministry emphasised that all USAID projects adhere to the financial management policies of the US government, which include rigorous auditing processes.
Even after a project concludes, relevant documents were preserved for several years and were subject to re-audit if necessary, it added.
It said that such projects were implemented under the development objective assistance agreement between Bangladesh and the United States, ensuring that individual influence did not play a role in their execution.
