BANGLADESH NEWS
World Bank Country Director Ellen Goldstein said on Sunday the expert panel of the global lender had a productive meeting with an Anti-Corruption Commission team probing alleged corruption in the Padma bridge project.
"The major discussion was fruitful. The panel and ACC will work together so that the panel can give advice on characteristics of ACC investigation," said Goldstein.
She was speaking to reporters after the WB experts had their first meeting with the anti-graft watchdog at the latter's Segunbagicha headquarters in Dhaka.
Anisul Huq, chief counsel for the ACC, said both the commission and the World Bank's panel agreed to follow the laws of the land in probing alleged corruption in the Padma bridge project.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, "They wanted to know whether hatching conspiracy for indulging in corruption is an offense and our country has such provision."
"They also wanted to know the update of our enquiry process and we elaborately informed them of the progress," another ACC official told reporters.
"They wanted to know the rules and we told them," ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman told reporters while leaving his office after the meeting.
"We explained the trial procedure and investigation procedure in country," he added.
Asked whether the panel gave any advice or put any recommendation, he said they had no recommendation or advice.
The three-member WB team, assigned to review the investigation into the Padma bridge corruption allegation, in two white Land Cruisers reached the ACC office around 3:18pm to hold the around four-hour meeting with the four-member probe body of the ACC.
Ellen Goldstein, WB country director in Bangladesh, was accompanying the delegation.
This is the maiden visit of the WB team of a series of visits to assess the conduct of the Anti-Corruption Commission's probe into the alleged corruption in the project.
Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, is leading the delegation, which will submit a report to the World Bank in this regard later. The panel will also share its findings with the Bangladesh government and other co-financiers of the project.
The other members of the panel are Timothy Tong, former commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Peoples Republic of China; and Richard Alderman, former director of the UK Serious Fraud Office.
The WB had announced the appointment of the panel on October 5.
Bangladesh will get the World Bank's financing for the Padma bridge project if the global lender's external panel finds satisfactory the country's handling of corruption allegations over the project.
The WB cancelled its $1.2 billion credit for the Padma bridge project in June, saying it had proof of a corruption conspiracy involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and private individuals.
On September 20, it declared its decision to engage anew in the project 'upon satisfactory implementation of the agreed measures by the Bangladesh government, and with the support of the bank's governing bodies'.
The WB also clearly hinted that it would not tolerate any corrupt practices in the nearly $3 billion project.
