Prime minister's son Joy seeks apology over Padma Bridge allegations

Those who raised allegations of graft in the awarding of contracts for the Padma Bridge should now apologise to the government, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

Joy took to Facebook to lash out at those raising the allegations after bdnews24.com reported  a Canadian court debunking graft allegations in the Padma Bridge case.

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) had earlier said it had found no truth to the allegations of graft in the Padma Bridge project .

But the ACC had filed a case after reports of Canadian consultants SNC Lavalin's alleged bribery attempts to win contracts in the project.

Five years after that case was filed, a Canadian court dismissed the allegations raised by the World Bank against SNC Lavalin as "unfounded".

Leading Canadian daily "Globe & Mail" reported that the judge had dismissed the allegations filed by the prosecution based on wiretaps and phone intercepts as 'rumours'.

Joy, also the PM's ICT adviser, blamed the World Bank for raising a controversy over graft and bribery in the Padma Bridge project. "The evidence was fabricated by the World Bank. I had seen the evidence myself during the whole episode."

"It was quite clearly made up as there were no concrete details, just one anonymous source who was never revealed, even to the Canadian court." said Joy.

"The World Bank came up with this plot against my mother, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in an attempt to discredit her."

Hasina had steadfastly maintained that the Padma bridge graft-bribery allegations were aimed at undermining the image of her government and that some Bangladeshis were also involved with it.

The prime minister alleged that Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus had tried to influence then US secretary of state to cut off World Bank funding for the Padma Bridge.

Joy hit out at 'a section of our civil society' who had joined the World Bank in raising the stink over alleged graft. "They dragged the reputation of several highly respected, qualified and hardworking people through the mud..."