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Abul resigns, at last

Letter submitted to PM; govt not confirming yet

Staff Correspondent
Information and C o m m u n i c a t i o n Technology Minister Syed Abul Hossain has finally tendered his resignation to the prime minister, paving the way for the government to revive the financial arrangements with the World Bank for the Padma bridge project.
However, there was no official announcement about his resignation.
It could not be confirmed whether Abul resigned from the cabinet or the post only. Several sources close to him said he wished to remain in the cabinet as a minister without portfolio.
Abul's resignation came a day after the finance minister on Sunday said the government had been considering accepting the WB's fourth condition to persuade the global lender to review the cancellation of the Padma bridge loan.
The WB's fourth condition was that the
government send on leave the public officials and former communications minister Abu 1 Hossain, who were allegedly involved in corruption in the project.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received Abul's resignation letter and kept it with her, said sources in the ruling Awami League.
Abul skipped yesterday's scheduled cabinet meeting. He did not even inform the cabinet that he would not attend the meeting. His absence drew the attention of many ministers.
Talking to journalists of several media houses over the phone yesterday, Abul said probe had been going on into corruption allegations over the Padma bridge project. And he was unwilling to continue his duties under the circumstances. His well-wishers also advised him not to remain in the post of a minister while the investigation was on. “So, I have made a decision... I won't stay in office," he told Bangla daily Prothom Alo. He, however, did not give any details about his resignation.
Abul said he would come out clean from the probe, as he had not been "involved in the corruption".
He claimed the AntiCorruption Commission, the WB or the Canadian police would not find his involvement, saying he had maintained transparency all along.
Abul believed his resignation had apparently removed the main barrier to constructing the bridge with the global lender's funding.
Though the WB gave several conditions for funding the project, Abul's exit from the cabinet was the key.
His resignation is likely to end the 10-month impasse between the government and the WB following the global lender's corruption allegations in the $2.97 billion project. The WB in September last year suspended its promised $1.2 billion funding for the country's biggest infrastructureproject.
Construction of the 6.15 kilometre bridge became uncertain when the WB last month cancelled its loan
agreement on the grounds that not all its conditions were met.
"He [Abul] should have resigned much earlier. He finally stepped down but the country paid a high price for that," a minister said on condition of anonymity after the cabinet meeting.
A security guard at Abul's Gulshan residence said Abul left home in the morning in a car without flag.
Later, he met the prime minister and turned in his resignation, said a source close to Abul.
It was the second time he resigned as a minister. He was forced to resign as state minister for the LGRD ministry in August 1997 over a controversy for using a private passport instead of a diplomatic book
Though there has been a strong public opinion against him for the last few months, Abul has kept protesting his innocence and refuted allegations of any irregularities in the Padma bridge project. He accused a section of the media of resorting to propaganda against him, saying it misled the WB to cancel the project's funding.
The government also showed reluctance to take any
action against him, other than transferring him to the ICT ministry.
Earlier, in an open letter published in several dailies on Saturday, Abul gave hints that he could resign for the sake of the country and proper probe into the corruption allegations.
The ex-communications minister first came under fire ahead of the last year's Eid-ul-Fitr for failing to repair and maintain roads and highways in many parts of the country.
He was removed from the communications ministry and given the charge of ICT ministry on December 5 last year after the WB brought corruption allegations against him and suspended its loan.
Apart from the WB, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Islamic Development Bank are cofinanciers in the project. ADB committed to provide $615 million, Jica $400 million and IDB$140 million.
After the WB cancelled its loan agreement, the government decided to construct the bridge with its own resources. The government, however, said it would welcome any foreign investment in the project.