Md Akmal
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Jubair Hasan
A three-member panel of experts of the World Bank (WB) will sit with the officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on October 14 and 15 (Sunday and Monday) to oversee the probe by the commission into the alleged corruption in the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, officials said.
The high-powered investigation team, led by former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo, will arrive in the city on October 14, and hold talks with the ACC investigators in the afternoon at its Segunbagicha headquarters.
Two other members of the team are: Timothy Tong, former commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of
China, and Richard Alderman, former director of the UK Serious Fraud Office.
"The team will also sit with us in the following day," ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman told the FE.
He said the panel will observe the investigation process and help ACC to ensure completeness, correctness, transparency and fairness of investigation.
"There will be no legal complication in working with the WB panel, as there is a provision that the commission can work with anybody for ensuring better investigation," he said.
About capability of the ACC investigators to work with the international experts, he said the local investigators are very much capable of working with them.
"We've also expanded our two-man investigation team to four, adding two more efficient officials, so that the team does not face any trouble in working with the panel," Mr Rahman said.
Report of the WB panel is very important for Bangladesh to construct the proposed 6.1-km-long bridge on the Padma River. The team will submit its findings to WB, co-financiers of the project and Bangladesh government.
Meanwhile, the anti-graft watchdog Thursday arranged an internal meeting with its officials concerned, where the ACC chairman discussed about the issues that can come up in the much-awaited meeting, the commission sources said.
The ACC also brought all the documents relating to the country's largest infrastructure development project to the commission on the day.
"Most of the documents are tender-related. These are brought again for the sake of investigation," said ACC's deputy director Meer Joynal Abedin Shebly.
The commission had sent the documents to the Bridges Division after examination in connection with the corruption allegations raised by the global lender.
Seeking anonymity, another official of the commission said fresh structure of the investigation into the bribe allegation of the project can be prepared during the two-daylong discussion with the panel.
"ACC will clarify its position to the WB panel on the basis of its findings so far. Opinions of the panel regarding the matter will also be seriously counted to make the probe more transparent and globally acceptable," he said.
The official also said the Canadian authority did not cooperate with the commission in the probe.
ACC is investigating allegations that Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin had offered bribes to at least six influential Bangladeshi officials, including two former government ministers, to obtain the consultant's job in the Padma Bridge project.
After completing investigation into the allegations, the anti-graft body already informed WB that it found no evidence of the allegation.
A three-member panel of experts of the World Bank (WB) will sit with the officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on October 14 and 15 (Sunday and Monday) to oversee the probe by the commission into the alleged corruption in the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, officials said.
The high-powered investigation team, led by former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo, will arrive in the city on October 14, and hold talks with the ACC investigators in the afternoon at its Segunbagicha headquarters.
Two other members of the team are: Timothy Tong, former commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of
China, and Richard Alderman, former director of the UK Serious Fraud Office.
"The team will also sit with us in the following day," ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman told the FE.
He said the panel will observe the investigation process and help ACC to ensure completeness, correctness, transparency and fairness of investigation.
"There will be no legal complication in working with the WB panel, as there is a provision that the commission can work with anybody for ensuring better investigation," he said.
About capability of the ACC investigators to work with the international experts, he said the local investigators are very much capable of working with them.
"We've also expanded our two-man investigation team to four, adding two more efficient officials, so that the team does not face any trouble in working with the panel," Mr Rahman said.
Report of the WB panel is very important for Bangladesh to construct the proposed 6.1-km-long bridge on the Padma River. The team will submit its findings to WB, co-financiers of the project and Bangladesh government.
Meanwhile, the anti-graft watchdog Thursday arranged an internal meeting with its officials concerned, where the ACC chairman discussed about the issues that can come up in the much-awaited meeting, the commission sources said.
The ACC also brought all the documents relating to the country's largest infrastructure development project to the commission on the day.
"Most of the documents are tender-related. These are brought again for the sake of investigation," said ACC's deputy director Meer Joynal Abedin Shebly.
The commission had sent the documents to the Bridges Division after examination in connection with the corruption allegations raised by the global lender.
Seeking anonymity, another official of the commission said fresh structure of the investigation into the bribe allegation of the project can be prepared during the two-daylong discussion with the panel.
"ACC will clarify its position to the WB panel on the basis of its findings so far. Opinions of the panel regarding the matter will also be seriously counted to make the probe more transparent and globally acceptable," he said.
The official also said the Canadian authority did not cooperate with the commission in the probe.
ACC is investigating allegations that Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin had offered bribes to at least six influential Bangladeshi officials, including two former government ministers, to obtain the consultant's job in the Padma Bridge project.
After completing investigation into the allegations, the anti-graft body already informed WB that it found no evidence of the allegation.
