Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith is set to leave Dhaka on Feb 24 for Washington DC to meet World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.
The meeting with the WB chief will take place on Feb 27, Muhith told reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
He said he would propose the global lender to invest the $1.2 billion committed for the Padma bridge project in some other sector.
“I haven’t met the new World President. So that might bring something good. A resolution to this matter may also come from the meeting,” he said.
Earlier in the morning, World Bank’s Acting Country Director for Bangladesh Salman Zaheer met the minister at his office.
Muhith told reporters, “We are not asking anymore for the World Bank’s assistance (in the Padma bridge project). Because our schedule did not match. That’s why we have withdrawn [from the deal].”
“Even after withdrawing, we are still trying to figure out a way to use the $1.2 billion credit which was ours. I will discuss the matter with the World Bank President,” he added.
He mentioned that the Washington-based global lending agency was still the largest donor organisation for Bangladesh. “At least $4 million is still in the pipeline while there are billions worth of aid pending.”
Muhith had written to Jim Yong Kim last month for a meeting amid tension between Bangladesh and World Bank over the Bank’s pledged loan for the $2.9 billion Padma bridge project, the biggest infrastructure in Bangladesh to date.
After a year-long tussle with the global lender over suspected conspiracy to steal the project money, the Bangladesh government on Jan 31 told the Bank it was formally withdrawing its bid for loans for co-financing the project. However, the government said it will pursue inquiries into the supposed corruption.bdnews24.com
