Padma Bridge graft probe to end in 2-month, hopes ACC

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) is likely to complete its probe into the Padma Bridge graft case within a couple months since the investigation gathered pace with the receiving of some ‘substantial’ information from Canadian authorities. “We’ve collected some substantial information from Canada. The information, I think, are enough to complete the investigation into the Padma graft case,” ACC commissioner M Shahabuddin has said. He hoped that the ACC investigator will able to submit report to the Commission in the next two months. The anti-graft body filed a case on December 17, 2012 against seven people for their alleged involvement in Padma Multi-purpose Bridge Project (PMBP) corruption dropping the names of key suspects former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain and former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury. The ACC completed the much-sought investigation into the graft case on Bangladesh part last year, but it had been waiting to see the completion of trial at the Canadian court and receive evidence, including Ramesh Shah’s diary, from the Canadian authorities to initiate the investigation into the Canadian part. Ramesh Shah, a Bangladeshi origin Canadian national and one of the key graft suspects, reportedly mentioned in his diary that four per cent would be given to former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain in hiring consultant for the multi-billion-dollar PMBP. ACC sources said the Commission has already collected some references documents and copies of the witnesses’ statement given during the trial, which will help the ACC investigator complete his task, according to UNB.