The Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday decided to conduct further investigation in a case filed years ago against seven people, including former Bridges Division secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, on the charges of 鈥榗orruption conspiracy鈥� in hiring consultant for the Padma Bridge project.
Ten years after the anti-corruption commission had submitted Final Report True in the graft case in 2014, mentioning that evidence was found of the crime to have been committed but adequate evidence was not found to accuse any particular persons, the agency took the decision for further probe at a meeting, said its director general for prevention Md Akter Hossain.
While briefing journalists at the commission headquarters in Dhaka city, he said that the accused in collusion with each other provided work orders through bribery to one of the bidders in the tender for hiring consultant for the Padma Bridge construction.
Aktar Hossain said that they earlier submitted a Final Report True due to lack of evidence, but now it had obtained evidence of irregularities and so had decided to reinvestigate the case.
On September 17, 2014, all the accused were cleared from the charges as the commission did not find any evidence of 鈥榗orruption conspiracy鈥� in hiring consultant for the project.
According to the case documents, 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 a probe.
After inquiry, the anti-corruption commission filed the case on December 17, 2012, against seven people for their alleged involvement in the graft, dropping the names of key suspects former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury.
The seven accused are then Bridges Division secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, then superintendent engineer of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority Kazi Mohammad Ferdous, then Roads and Highways executive engineer Riaz Ahmad Jaber, then deputy managing director of Engineering Planners Consultant Ltd Mohammad Mostafa, then director of international projects wing at the SNC-Lavalin company Mohammed Ismail, and the firm鈥檚 then vice presidents Ramesh Saha and Kevin Wallace.
On June 29, 2012, the World Bank cancelled its $1.2 billion funding for the bridge project, saying it had proof of a 鈥榗orruption conspiracy鈥� involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and some other individuals.