Dhaka – Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) submitted charge sheet against three persons including Bangladesh’s former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury in a case filed with a Canadian court over the alleged corruption in appointing a consultant for the Padma bridge project, according to a media report.
The RCMP submitted charge sheet against Abul Hasan Chowdhury and two other Canadian citizens including Julfikar Ali Bhuiyan on September 26. Central media office of RCMP Corporal Lucy Shorey disclosed it to the media on Saturday.
The charge sheet has been submitted against them for their involvement in the conspiracy to bribe several Bangladesh people in a bid to ensure the contract of the consultancy of the Padma bridge.
The counter charge sheet was submitted separately before the Antario Federal Court of Justice in Torento under section 3 (1) (B) of Corruption of Foreign Public Official Act after the arrest of former senior executive of SNC Lavalin Kevin Wales.
Earlier on September 18, the RCMP brought charge against Abul Hasan Chowdhury, Kevin Wales, Romesh Shah, Mohammad Isamil and Julfiker Ali
Bhuiyan in this connection.
When contacted, Commissioner of Anti-Corruption Commissioner Md Shahabuddin Chuppu told journalists that they knew the name of Abul Hasan Chowdhury was included in the charge sheet before. The RCMP might have now submitted the charge sheet formally, he observed.
According to Public Prosecution Services of Canada sources, no trial would start in the absence of the concerned person in Canada. So there was no scope to produce Abul Hasan Chowdhury before the trial court as he is now out of Canada, sources added.
The World Bank on April 18 this year imposed ban on Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin and 100 of its subsidiaries from participating in bidding on any of the bank’s development projects for the next decade since the firm admitted that it conspired to bribe several Bangladeshi public officials in an effort to secure a $50-million bridge contract.
The World Bank’s announcement about SNC Lavalin also expanded the list of countries where the embattled engineering company has been accused
of corruption.
The bank said it has uncovered evidence that SNC conspired to bribe public officials in Cambodia and that it has passed that information to the RCMP, who are probing the company’s activities in Libya, Algeria and Bangladesh.
The WB cancelled its USD 1.2 billion funding for the Padma bridge project saying it had proof of a “corruption conspiracy” involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm, and some individuals.
Later, Bangladesh government decided to construct the Padma bridge with its own funding. – Staff Reporter
