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Padma 'graft'

ACC quizzes SNC-Lavalin's local agent

Staff Correspondent
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday interrogated a local agent of SNC-Lavalin in connection with the alleged corruption in appointing the Canadian company as the consultant for Padma bridge project.
Sources involved in the
SEE PAGE 19 COL 2 FROM PAGE 1
investigation said 73-year-old Ziaul Huq, managing director of Engineering and Planning Consultant Ltd (EPC), the local agent of SNC-Lavalin, was interrogated about why he had frequently visited the office of Bangladesh Bridges Division.
ACC directors Mir Md Zainul Abedin Shebli and Mirza Zahidul Alam quizzed Ziaul Huq at the commission's headquarters from 9:10am to 10:30am, said Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, ACC public relations officer.
According to sources, several secret meetings regarding appointment of the Canadian company were held in the Bridges Division office. Former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain, former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury, CEP chief Ziaul Huq, former secretary of the Bridges Division Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, SNC-Lavalin's former vice-president Ismail Hossain and civil contractor Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury alias Nixon Chowdhury, also the younger brother of parliament whip Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury, used to be present in the meetings.
The anti-graft watchdog interrogated Abul Hasan Chowdhury on June 14 and Nixon Chowdhury on June 19.
Sources said Abul Hasan and Ziaul Huq were quizzed as they were relatives and had played key roles in arranging meetings at the Bridges Division. Besides, Nixon also had close link with Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Ismail Hossain, a former vice-president of SNC-Lavalin.
ACC would soon quiz Syed Abul Hossain and Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, said officials.
The anti-graft commission launched two investigations into the allegations of corruption in the main bridge project and in the appointment process of SNC-Lavalin after the World Bank had drew its attention on the matter last October. Since then the WB kept its $1.2 billion loan for the project suspended until June 30, when It finally cancelled the loan.
ACC has already completed the first investigation and found no evidence of irregularities in the main
bridge project.
Last November, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on WB's request launched an inves-tigation against SNC-Lavalin. They raided the company office, seized documents from there and arrested former chief executive Pierre Duhaime, Bangladeshi-born Canadian citizen Ismail Hossain and Indian-born Canadian citizen Ramesh Saha