The Anti-Corruption Commission chairman, Ghulam Rahman has said ‘everything is under control and is moving in right direction’ as he made comments about the progress in handling the investigation into alleged corruption in the appointment of consultants for the Padma Bridge project.
The commission also kept maintaining communication with the World Bank, but the Bank has not yet responded to the ACC’s ongoing inquiry into the alleged corruption, he told reporters at his office on Wednesday.
Ghulam also said that the commission re-fixed the date on November 4 for questioning prime minister’s economic affairs adviser Mashiur Rahman in connection with the graft allegation against him.
The ACC fixed the new date in response to a request from Mashiur who was previously scheduled to face the questioning by the ACC inquiry team on November 6.
On the same day, another ACC investigation team will
interrogate Destiny Group president Harun-Ar-Rashid, also former army chief, in connection with two cases of embezzlement of money of the clients, he said.
Besides, ACC legal advisor Anisul Haque told reporters that the ACC chairman already sent a letter to the WB as a reminder seeking some documents and information from the WB.
He said that the Canadian government has not yet provided any information to the ACC about the Padma graft case.
The ACC on Monday served a notice signed by its deputy director Mir Joynal Abedin Shibli to Mashiur Rahman asking him to appear before the ACC head office on November 6 at 10 am to face interrogation.
The Commission also severed notice upon Ghulam Mustafa, a local agent of Canadian firm SNC Lavalin, to face questioning on the same day.
Mashiur had been dropped from two important committees, Executive Committee of the National Economic Council and Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee alongside his exclusion from the Cabinet Purchase Committee in compliance with the conditions of the WB for its review in the Padma Bridge project loan.
The commission so far interrogated 29 people for their alleged involvement in corruption in the Padma Bridge project.
They included former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain, former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury and his brother contractor Nixon Chowdhury, local representative of SNC-Lavalin, bridge division officials Liaquat Ali, executive engineer and deputy director and assistant engineers Abul Kalam Azad and Golam Mortuja.
The WB last month sent its three-member panel led by former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo. During its stay here, the panel discussed the overall probe by the ACC.
The ACC sent documents and papers relating to its first round of enquiry in connection with the WB allegation to the experts’ panel on October 23.
The ACC officials admitted that they had interrogated the high government officials again at the suggestion of the WB external panel.