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Fictitious

Abul on graft allegations

Staff Correspondent
Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain yesterday ruled out corruption in the $2.97 billion Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.
“It cannot be proved that corruption has
happened in the Padma Bridge project," he told a group of reporters at his Secretariat office.
The allegation of corruption is fictitious as no contract for the construction work of the bridge was signed and no donor's fund was released or spent under the project, the minister said, adding that even the construction work of the bridge has not started yet.
Abul Hossain's comment came against the backdrop of World Bank's allegation of corruption in the project. World Bank (WB), which has signed a $ 1.2 billion loan deal with the government, claimed that it has proof of corruption.
The WB has informed the government of the matter in a letter, but neither the WB nor the government made it public and thus nothing specific about the WB's allegation could be known.
Sources from different quarters indicate that a company of an influential minister might be involved in the corruption.
The communications minister alleged that a quarter has been conspiring against the implementation of the project. “This quarter also tried to delay loan signing with the donors," he said.
About the WB's claim that
it has evidence of corruption, the minister said, "If they have evidence, they should provide it to us. We will not be able to do anything if they do not provide us with evidence but only seek action."
Since the allegation has already been raised, he suggested the WB carry out a joint investigation along with the Anti-Corruption Commission and Transparency International Bangladesh.
“If they do, they will come to know that much transparency and integrity is being maintained in the project," theministersaid.
In this regard, he pointed out that there is no allegation against the government-funded spending in the project. “We could easily inquire if any allegation is raised," said the minister, adding that the government has so far spent more than Tk 1,000 crore for land-acquisition, compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement works under the project.
Asked about the sources of fund if the WB does not give its promised loan, Abul Hossain said, “It is up to the government to make the decision."
He, however, hoped that all the donors would provide their fund, and construction work of the bridge would begin within the tenure of the present government.