ACC seizes documents in Padma Bridge graft probe
Friday, 21 December 2012
FE Report
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Thursday seized all relevant documents in connection with appointing a consultant for the Padma Bridge project from the bridge division.
The newly-formed investigation team of the commission went to the Bridge Division and seized 15 documents from there for submission before the court when the judicial process starts.
An ACC official involved in the investigation process said they had collected the records and documents in a bid to place those before the court as it will help establish engagement of the accused persons in the graft conspiracy.
The seized papers include documents relating to tender evaluation, expression of interest (EOI) of the bidders, detailed information about Request for Proposal (RFP), procurement rules and procurement acts in accordance with the WB guidelines.
Personal documents of the accused persons - Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, former bridge division secretary and now made OSD and Kazi M Ferdous, superintending engineer (river engineering) of Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) - were confiscated.
The four-member investigation team led by ACC deputy director Abdullah Al Zahid also seized appointment-related documents of the WB Procurement Guidelines experts Dr Daud Ahmed and Miss Nahid Amin.
They also seized tender-related documents of the five companies, including SNC Lavalin, who took part in the tender.
Besides, the commission has given top priority to a diary of SNC Lavalin official Ramesh Shah, who was also accused in the case regarding graft conspiracy in the Padma Bridge project, officials said Thursday.
The anti-graft body has taken all necessary measures to get the certified copy of Ramesh's diary, now at the disposal of a Canadian court, which contains information on sharing of bribe money to get SNC Lavalin appointed as consultant for Padma Bridge Project.
"The diary is very much important for a fair and complete investigation into the allegation and we're giving highest priority to the notes where names of the conspirators were mentioned," ACC Commissioner Badiuzzaman told reporters at his office in the evening.
He said attorney general Mahbubey Alam, on behalf of the commission, already sent MLAR (mutual legal assistance request) to the Canadian government for allowing ACC team to gather information from the accused Canadian citizens.
"But Canada is yet to reply," he said, adding that the diary will also serve as a documentary evidence, which is a key element in the process of investigation.
The ACC high-ups also sought cooperation of the external panel of the World Bank (WB) during its recent visit to the capital.
"The diary is very important for the case as it could establish links of the ex-ministers in the allegation of corruption conspiracy," another senior ACC official involved in the investigation process said.
ACC and law enforcers have kept both the ex-ministers under surveillance so that they can't influence the investigation process.
The ACC investigation team with the help of police, Rab and intelligence officials conducted raids to arrest the accused persons. "The investigators can interrogate the former ministers anytime, if necessary," he said.
The investigation team also went to the High Court area on secret information that two of the accused persons went there to get anticipatory bail.
But the team did not find anyone as the duo submitted the bail prayers through their lawyers.
According to the first information report (FIR) filed with the Banani Police Station on December 17 last, names of the former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury were shown as graft suspects instead of accused because of not getting enough documentary evidence against them.
The case was filed against four Bangladeshis, including former secretary of Bridge Division and three Canadian citizens. The ACC also conducted an overnight raid at the residences of accused persons as well as their relatives at various parts of the city but failed to arrest anyone.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Thursday seized all relevant documents in connection with appointing a consultant for the Padma Bridge project from the bridge division.
The newly-formed investigation team of the commission went to the Bridge Division and seized 15 documents from there for submission before the court when the judicial process starts.
An ACC official involved in the investigation process said they had collected the records and documents in a bid to place those before the court as it will help establish engagement of the accused persons in the graft conspiracy.
The seized papers include documents relating to tender evaluation, expression of interest (EOI) of the bidders, detailed information about Request for Proposal (RFP), procurement rules and procurement acts in accordance with the WB guidelines.
Personal documents of the accused persons - Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, former bridge division secretary and now made OSD and Kazi M Ferdous, superintending engineer (river engineering) of Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) - were confiscated.
The four-member investigation team led by ACC deputy director Abdullah Al Zahid also seized appointment-related documents of the WB Procurement Guidelines experts Dr Daud Ahmed and Miss Nahid Amin.
They also seized tender-related documents of the five companies, including SNC Lavalin, who took part in the tender.
Besides, the commission has given top priority to a diary of SNC Lavalin official Ramesh Shah, who was also accused in the case regarding graft conspiracy in the Padma Bridge project, officials said Thursday.
The anti-graft body has taken all necessary measures to get the certified copy of Ramesh's diary, now at the disposal of a Canadian court, which contains information on sharing of bribe money to get SNC Lavalin appointed as consultant for Padma Bridge Project.
"The diary is very much important for a fair and complete investigation into the allegation and we're giving highest priority to the notes where names of the conspirators were mentioned," ACC Commissioner Badiuzzaman told reporters at his office in the evening.
He said attorney general Mahbubey Alam, on behalf of the commission, already sent MLAR (mutual legal assistance request) to the Canadian government for allowing ACC team to gather information from the accused Canadian citizens.
"But Canada is yet to reply," he said, adding that the diary will also serve as a documentary evidence, which is a key element in the process of investigation.
The ACC high-ups also sought cooperation of the external panel of the World Bank (WB) during its recent visit to the capital.
"The diary is very important for the case as it could establish links of the ex-ministers in the allegation of corruption conspiracy," another senior ACC official involved in the investigation process said.
ACC and law enforcers have kept both the ex-ministers under surveillance so that they can't influence the investigation process.
The ACC investigation team with the help of police, Rab and intelligence officials conducted raids to arrest the accused persons. "The investigators can interrogate the former ministers anytime, if necessary," he said.
The investigation team also went to the High Court area on secret information that two of the accused persons went there to get anticipatory bail.
But the team did not find anyone as the duo submitted the bail prayers through their lawyers.
According to the first information report (FIR) filed with the Banani Police Station on December 17 last, names of the former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain and former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury were shown as graft suspects instead of accused because of not getting enough documentary evidence against them.
The case was filed against four Bangladeshis, including former secretary of Bridge Division and three Canadian citizens. The ACC also conducted an overnight raid at the residences of accused persons as well as their relatives at various parts of the city but failed to arrest anyone.