The World Bank canceled the Padma Bridge loan, citing credible evidence of corruption

Dhaka Times Report. Finally, the World Bank canceled the Padma bridge loan agreement citing corruption.

Yesterday on June 30, the World Bank officially canceled the contract with Bangladesh for the construction of the Padma Bridge. The World Bank canceled their contract after alleging corruption in the selection of contractors and consultants for the construction of the bridge. The previous day, on June 29, the World Bank announced the cancellation of the loan agreement of 1.2 billion dollars for the Padma Bridge project.

In this regard, the World Bank said in a statement, "The World Bank can never be blind to the corruption in the Padma bridge construction project, should not be and will not be." The statement also said that the Bangladesh government and the Anti-Corruption Commission were asked to take necessary steps regarding the evidence of corruption that the World Bank had received. They also gave evidence in this regard in September 2011 and April this year. The government is called upon to fully investigate this allegation of corruption and punish those responsible. The World Bank thought that the Bangladesh government would give considerable importance to the matter. But in reality it did not happen. Claiming to have found 'credible' evidence of corruption by top government officials in the project, the World Bank said in a statement, adding that through two rounds of investigations, corruption in the Padma Bridge was reported to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and higher levels of government. They also requested the government to take effective steps in this regard. But the government did not respond. Referring to the dissatisfaction of the Bangladesh government in this regard, the World Bank said that they will soon send a high-level delegation to Dhaka to fully explain their position and get the government's response.

Communication Minister Obaidul Quader has commented on the cancellation of the Padma Bridge contract, the World Bank's decision to cancel the Padma Bridge project is unfortunate and mysterious. Canceling the World Bank contract before the investigation is completed is like a thunderbolt without a cloud to us. He said, it is not reasonable to cancel the contract before proving the allegations of corruption in that project. When asked about the reaction of the finance minister, his APS told the media that the minister will officially express his reaction today on July 1. On the other hand, BNP Standing Committee member Maudud Ahmad said that the government did not take into account the corruption allegations of the World Bank in the Padma Bridge construction project. The government ignored the allegations of corruption and instead blamed the World Bank. The World Bank terminated their contract for such behavior. Prominent economist Dr. Vinay Sen said, when the World Bank brought allegations of corruption, it should have taken the matter seriously and taken appropriate action. But the minister against whom the complaint was raised, that minister was again given the responsibility of another ministry. Because of this, today's situation has been created. Two former advisers to the caretaker government. Akbar Ali Khan and Mirza Azizul Islam said that even if the agreement is cancelled, there is still an opportunity to negotiate with the World Bank. Both felt that funding from donor agencies such as the World Bank would reduce the cost of building the bridge. They feel that if the problem can still be resolved through discussions with the World Bank, it will be better than any other approach. According to Akbar Ali Khan and Mirza Azizul Islam on the government's plan to build the Padma Bridge with Malaysian funding, the cost will go up a lot. The people of the country and the government have to bear the responsibility. Refusing to comment on the World Bank's decision to cancel the contract with Bangladesh for the construction of the Padma Bridge, Golam Rahman, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said, "I will not make any comment until we get detailed information from the government."

It should be noted that according to the loan agreement with the government in April 2011 for the implementation of the Padma Bridge project, the World Bank is supposed to finance 1.2 billion dollars out of the possible total cost of 2.9 billion dollars for the construction of the bridge. Besides, Asian Development Bank (ADB) 61 crores, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) 40 crores and Islamic Development Bank (IDB) are supposed to lend 140 crores in this project. The rest of the money is to be provided by the Bangladesh government. Earlier, the government signed an agreement with 5 lenders including the World Bank for the construction of the 6.15 km long Padma Bridge.

But the much awaited Padma Bridge project stalled when the World Bank suspended financing in October last year due to allegations of corruption in the appointment of contractors and consultants for the bridge. The World Bank made written allegations of corruption to the government. However, the Finance Minister himself commented on the Padma Bridge corruption in October last year and said that the World Bank will stop financial assistance to the Padma Bridge project until the corruption is resolved. At that time, he also said that they told him that the World Bank has evidence of corruption in this project. He also said that he will talk to the Prime Minister about corruption. But what he said to the Prime Minister or what the government decided was not disclosed. Instead, the government challenged the World Bank's allegations. During the tension between the government and the World Bank, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in a meeting of the executive committee of Awami League that the government does not want to be the face of the World Bank in the construction of the Padma bridge. On December 3, 2011, he said, the responsibility of building this bridge is being left to the private sector. Private sector investors will raise money for the construction of the bridge through toll collection. On December 10 last year, the Prime Minister once again said about the construction of the Padma Bridge that the bridge will be constructed under PPP without funding from donors. He also said that there will be no more waiting for the money from the donor organization. Regarding the World Bank, he said, the World Bank did not release the Padma Bridge money, then how did the corruption happen there. He also said that the World Bank must prove, where and how much corruption has taken place in the Padma Bridge. However, the World Bank did not move from its position. They were repeatedly challenging the government. News of a daily.

Meanwhile, the government also announced to complete the construction of Padma Bridge by 2013 and open it for vehicular traffic. The government announced that the construction of the Padma Bridge will begin in September 2010. But later it was postponed and again it was said that the work will start by January 2011. But that word remains on paper. However, the Finance Minister has said several times that there was no corruption in the Padma Bridge. At the same time, he also said that even if he could not finish the work of the bridge, he would start it. But now there are fears about when that will start at all. At this stage, in February of this year, the Malaysian government proposed to build the bridge with full financing for the Padma Bridge project. Communication Minister Obaidul Quader visited Malaysia based on this proposal. During his visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Malaysian government for the construction of the Padma Bridge. However, the Malaysian government added 7 conditions including withdrawal of profit and investment in the construction of the bridge. A draft proposal was made by Malaysia to maintain the bridge for 50 years after its construction. The Minister of Communications told the media that the proposal will be examined by the government. On the other hand, apart from Malaysia, China has expressed interest in the construction of the Padma Bridge. However, they have not made any official offer so far.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has also accused several public and private people, including a government minister, of demanding bribes in the process of appointing SNC Lavalin as a consultant for the Padma Bridge project. They reported the matter in writing to the ACC and requested an investigation. When the investigation started from the ACC, the influential people were shaken. ACC is also in trouble. According to the official statement of the ACC, the letter given to them by the World Bank contains the names of several people. A copy of the complaint was also provided to the ACC and asked for investigation. According to the complaint of the World Bank, the ACC started investigating the Padma bridge corruption in October last year. But the ACC ended this investigation saying that it did not receive any kind of documents, evidence and information in support of the allegations of corruption in the appointment of contractors for the bridge. Also records the matter. Syed Abul Hossain, former Minister of Communications and currently Minister of Information Communication and Technology, accused of corruption, was spared from this part of the investigation. But investigations into corruption in the hiring of consultants for the project are still ongoing. As part of this investigation, the ACC has listed at least a dozen high-profile people for questioning, including minister Syed Abul Hossain. A two-member investigation committee headed by ACC Deputy Director Mir Zainul Abedin Shibli is probing the matter of corruption in the appointment of consultants. However, it is not yet clear whether the ACC's investigation will continue or stop after the cancellation of the agreement regarding the financing of the bridge by the World Bank.

At the request of the World Bank, the Canadian police searched SNC Lavalin's office in Canada on February 20, seized many important documents, and arrested 2 people, including Ismail Hossain, an official of SNC Lavalin. They are being tried in a Canadian court.

Even though so many incidents have happened, experts believe that such an incident has arisen because the government does not give so much importance to the matter. Experts also say that it is not possible for the government to implement such a large project without the World Bank or any foreign donor.