Govt wants WB decision this month

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said on Thursday that the government would look out for alternative sources to fund the Padma bridge construction if the World Bank did not finalise its decision by this month.

“The World Bank panel is in constant contact with the Anti-Corruption Commission. We are not communicating with them and we do not want to do that. The probe is a matter to be dealt with by the panel and the ACC,” Muhith told journalists in his office.

“We want World Bank’s decision by this month. Otherwise, we have to look out for other options,” the Finance Minister said.

Asked to elaborate, Muhith said there were "other financiers: who could be approached."

"We have our investments too,” he said , but did not specify details of the options available or under consideration.

He said the government was keen to get an early decision on the funding of the project because the construction work must begin during this dry season.

The government has informed the World Bank about these issues while the ACC has been asked to clarify the points raised by the global lender.

The World Bank stopped its proposed $ 1.2 billion funding of the proposed 6-km-long Padma bridge after allegations of graft surfaced.

Though the global lender reviewed its decision later and said it will consider funding, it says it will do so only if satisfied with the investigations into the allegations of corruption. To monitor the investigations, the World Bank set up an external panel under Luis Moreno-Ocampo, former International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor.

The ACC has said that though they have no evidence of bribes, they have found traces of a ‘conspiracy to exchange bribes’ involving seven persons that included senior officials and executives of Canadian company SNS-Lavalin.

The former Bridges secretary Mosharraf Hossain has been charged as the prime accused in the case by the ACC.