The government is taking Tk 10 billion from Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited for the Padma bridge project.
And Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal sees no problem with taking money from an institution that is operating as a legitimate bank.
The minister said Tuesday in an interview he had chosen to ignore the controversy surrounding the bank.
“We have to move forward. There will be no development in this country if we’re held down by every other controversy.”
“Islami Bank has a successful banking operation in this country. No one has any problem with that.
“It seems unacceptable to me that they would have a problem with the bank investing in the Padma bridge,” he said.
Recently, the government faced a barrage of criticism following media reports that the bank, believed to have Jamaat-e-Islami links, had donated Tk 30 million for an Independence Day programme.
The controversy forced the government to announce that the money would not be going to the event.
The cultural affairs minister later held a press conference where he said Islami Bank had tried to ‘trick’ the government into taking the money.
The planning minister, however, wants to move on with the bridge, long-awaited and delayed by rows with donors.
“I have asked the Islami Bank chairman for Tk 10 billion for the Padma bridge. He has promised me the bank will invest this money in the project,” he told bdnews24.com in the interview.
