The Anti-Corruption Commission has started proceeding with its bid to reinvestigate four years-old cases over conspiracies to commit corruption in the Padma Bridge contract awarding and corruption in building the Bangabandhu Novo Theatre planetarium.
鈥榃e are scrutinising all the records and papers around the corruption cases, and we will take a decision regarding conducting further investigation within the shortest time,鈥� said a commission director general, preferring anonymity, on Tuesday.
According to the documents of the cases, on March 27, 2002, the now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption filed three cases with the Tejgaon police, accusing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and some former ministers of commiting corruption and irregularities in dealing with the project for building the Bangabandhu Novo Theatre planetarium.
The charges included unduly spending enormous amounts on hiring consultants for the project, purchasing machinery, and the planetarium construction work.
But the High Court on March 4, 2010, quashed all the proceedings against Sheikh Hasina, then prime minister, in all the three corruption cases.
The court also declared illegal both the filing and proceedings of the cases.
In a high-profile graft scandal, potential Padma Bridge financier World Bank in 2012 brought allegations of 鈥榗onspiracy for corruption鈥� leading the then Sheikh Hasina-led government to launch an investigation.
The Anti-Corruption Commission after inquiries, filed a case of 鈥榗onspiracy for corruption in the Padma Bridge project鈥� on December 17, 2012 against seven individuals: former Bridges Division secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Bangladesh Bridge Authority superintendent engineer Kazi Mohammad Ferdous, Roads and Highways executive engineer Riaz Ahmad Jaber, Engineering Planners Consultant Ltd鈥檚 deputy managing director Mohammad Mostafa, director of international projects wing at the SNC-Lavalin company Mohammed Ismail, and the firm鈥檚 former vice presidents Ramesh Saha and Kevin Wallace.
The commission in its inquiry phase of the corruption allegations also included then communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and then state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury as suspects. But when the commission filed the case later, the two names were not included as accused.
The allegations, however, led minister Abul Hossain to resign, and state minister Mosharraf Hossain to be put on forced leave.
But on September 14, 2014, the ACC submitted a final report to the court recommending relieving of all the seven accused, saying that the charges could not be proved during the probe.
The World Bank, however, eventually pulled out of the project as the financier to lend US$1.2 billion.
On Tuesday, the anti-corruption agency also sent a letter to the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office, seeking documents on eight other projects that were taken during the tenure of now ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Agency deputy director Md Salahuddin sent the letter, requesting the documents to conduct inquiries against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members over allegations of embezzling and misuse of Tk 21,000 crore in the eight projects.
It also requested the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office to provide the information by January 7, said ACC deputy director Aktarul Islam.
According to the letter, Hasina and others are under probe for alleged abuse of power and corruption during the implementation of the eight projects鈥攖he Mirsharai Economic Zone, Khurushkul Special Ashrayan Project, Ashrayan Project-2, BEPZA Economic Zone, Mirsharai First Phase, water treatment and deep tube well installation at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial City, two modern fire stations in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial City and the Indian Economic Zone in Mirsharai as well as the development of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial City.
Earlier, the agency sent letter to the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, summoning all the documents related to the local and international transactions of Sheikh Hasina and her family members.
It also sent letters to the Election Commission Office and the Immigration and Passport Office, seeking their personal documents.
A five-member team, formed on December 18, led by ACC deputy director Md Salahuddin is tasked with the probe into the graft allegations against them.
The ACC has started the inquiry over allegations of corruption worth Tk 80,000 crore against Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, and Rehana鈥檚 daughter Tulip Siddique in nine projects undertaken between 2009 and 2023, including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
Apart from this, on December 22, the anti-graft body also started another inquiry against Sheikh Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy over allegations of laundering $300 million.