The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) gave a clean chit to all the seven suspects, including two former ministers, in the much-talked-about Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB) graft conspiracy that had bogged down the biggest infrastructural project in the country.
As grounds for the backtracking on the graft probe, ACC bosses Wednesday told journalists that the watchdog didn't find any proof of corruption or conspiracy.
The allegation was brought by multilateral funding agency World Bank, which eventually withdrew from the project.
"We found no strong evidences of corruption or conspiracy against the accused to place them before the court, and decided not to run the case anymore," said ACC Chairman Md Badiuzzaman.
The disclosure was made at a press briefing on the probe report on the Padma Multipurpose Bridge graft case at the ACC headquarters in Segunbagicha in Dhaka, amid a barrage of questions from the reporters about the absolving of the suspects.
The anti-graft watchdog will submit the report of its investigations into the corruption allegations any day, said the chairman, flanked by the ACC commissioners and officials.
"The case had no merit and not enough information and witnesses were found during the investigation," he said.
Former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury are among the seven going to be cleared of the graft allegation after 20 months of investigation.
"We did not find enough information to proceed with the case even after probing for one and a half years. That's why we are unable to submit the charge sheet in court," the ACC chief said.
A copy of the final report will also be sent to the court.
ACC Commissioner (investigation) Sahabuddin Chuppu strongly echoed the voice of the chairman-that they found no strong evidence for prosecuting the accused.
Asked whether they have to face any problem in submitting the report as the case is still ongoing at a Canadian court, Chuppu said they had no connection to the investigation being conducted by Canada.
On December 17, 2012, the ACC filed the case of 'conspiracy for corruption in the Padma Bridge project' against the seven, who also include former bridges division secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan.
The ACC kept the names of former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and former state minister Abul Hasan Chowdhury as suspects. It said the duo would be kept under observation.
On September 18, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged five persons in connection with the alleged scam.
They are former state minister Abul Hasan Chowdhury, SNC-Lavalin's former director Mohammad Ismail, former vice-presidents Kevin Wallace and Ramesh Shah, and Zulfiquar, a Canadian citizen who has business ties in Bangladesh.
In 2011, the World Bank raised allegations of corruption in the Padma bridge project and finally cancelled its $1.2 billion credits for the project in 2012.
The WB contended it had proof of a corruption conspiracy involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and individuals.
On May 22 this year, China Major Bridge Engineering Company (CMBEC), the lone bidder in the project, got the contract for the country's largest-ever infrastructure project as the government finally moved to build the bridge across the mighty river with funds from the nation's own coffers.
