Padma bridge graft case
In hindsight, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had probed the issue of graft raised by the World Bank earlier and found nothing amiss. In fact the main accused was given a clean chit on alleged graft. Yet today when we are faced with ‘proof’ of wrongdoing through an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that has already shared information with the ACC which has restarted the investigation afresh, it becomes imperative for the ACC to plumb deeper into the allegations.

Whatever may be the reason for the earlier decision, the hope of an entire nation rests on the anti-graft body to get its act together and get to the bottom of this serious allegation. The construction of Padma Bridge was an electoral pledge of the present government and it is by far the largest and most significant infrastructure-improvement project till date. Much time has been wasted on dilly-dallying over who is innocent and holier than thou and who is not. There is apparently something substantial in the Canadian investigation, otherwise the RCMP would not have bothered to raid the offices of SNC-Lavalin confiscating documents and detain its former chief executive. The fact that a RCMP team is arriving in Bangladesh in July to share its findings with the ACC goes to show the gravity of the situation.

It is somewhat perplexing to find some of the alleged persons in the case to be making bold statements in the press that nothing would come of the latest round of investigation. One wonders as to where this confidence comes from. It is too early to make predictions, but in the interests of good governance and the nation at large, we certainly hope that the ACC is allowed to do its job without interference from any quarter so that we may put this sad chapter behind us and move forward on the much-belated Padma Bridge construction.

thedailystar