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AL meet flays World Bank

Staff Correspondent
Slamming the World Bank for suddenly cancelling the Padma bridge loan, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said she had information beforehand that the global lender would scrap the loan agreement because of a bank's managing director.
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"I had heard the World Bank would cancel the loan agreement because of a particular person... managing director of a particular bank," she said without mentioning anyone's name.
Addressing the Awami League Central Working Committee meeting at the Gono Bhaban, Hasina said by cancelling the loan agreement, the WB had caused great harm to the nation.
She said the WB had put repeated pressure on the government to award a job to a fake company. “Why did they [WB] put pressure? What are the World Bank's relations with the fake company? Whether there was any deal or corruption involved is the big question now."
Hasina, who is also president of the ruling AL, said the WB was “very powerful” and it could do many things. "But we are sure we were not involved in any wrongdoing. So why will we bow our heads?"
She, however, cautioned that anyone doing something illegal through using her or her family members' names would not be spared.
The AL chief said her government had already arranged the money that would be needed this year for the construction of the bridge.
"We have decided what will be done and when. We have liberated the country through a war... won't we be able to build a bridge? If need be, we will do manual labour. We don't want any fight or quarrel with any-
one,” she said.
"How could corruption take place when the World Bank did not disburse even a penny?" The prime minister asked.
She mentioned that the government had so far spent Tk 1,500 crore on land acquisition and rehabilitation of the displaced for the bridge project. “No corruption allegations had been raised there, not even by the World Bank."
Hasina said those involved in corruption in getting the consultancy job would be left out and the government would float a fresh tender, if necessary.
"We have more than $10 billion in foreign exchange reserves and it is not a big deal to spend $1 billion from it. Insha'Allah, we will be able to start work on the
bridge," she noted.
At the meeting, AL General Secretary and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said the WB implemented the "political agenda" of a powerful country and it had done the same in the case of the Padma bridge loan agreement, ALCWC sources told The Daily Star.
Those who sought to destroy politics by floating a new party after the 1/11 changeover in 2007 were now conspiring against the democratic government and the prime minister, Ashraf said.
GOVT TO DISCLOSE WB LETTERS
Meanwhile, a senior minister told The Daily Star yesterday that the government would disclose the WB's documents detailing allega-
tions of corruption in the bridge project.
“In principle, our stance is to make the reports public, and we will do that because we believe no corruption has happened in the project,” said the minister, asking not to be named.
The minister said relevant documents and statements about the WB's request to the government in favour of a Chinese company will also be made public.
Recently, in a written response to questions from The Daily Star, WB Country Director Ellen Goldstein said the government may disclose the reports containing “evidence of corruption” for the sake of transparency and in the public interest.
Asked about it, Finance Minister AMA Muhith yes-
terday said, “Let's see."
Earlier on Sunday, he said the government did not believe in character assassination. He was replying to journalists' queries on whether the government would make the WB reports public.
On Goldstein's interview with The Daily Star published on Sunday, he said, “Yes, I have gone through the interview. What the country director said in the interview is much better than the WB’s statement [issued by the global lender on June 29 cancelling the Bank’s funding for the project]."
In the interview, Goldstein clearly stated what the government wanted to do regarding the WB's corruption allegations, said the finance minister.