‘Padma bridge graft’: Ex-ACC top brass forcibly closed probe

Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen yesterday said the ACC's own leadership in 2014 closed the investigation into the Padma Bridge graft allegations without giving any clear explanation.

According to Momen, it raises serious questions about the integrity of the decision.

"This is no longer just about corruption in a mega project. We are now also investigating whether the former ACC leadership intentionally shielded those involved," he said.

The ACC has found primary evidence of irregularities in the appointment of consultants for the Padma Bridge project, reviving a corruption case that had remained dormant for over a decade, said the ACC chairman.

Speaking to reporters at the ACC headquarters in the capital, Momen said, "The case was closed through sheer force. There was enough evidence at that time, yet the commission chose to walk away."

The case was filed with the ACC in 2012, following global scrutiny over alleged corruption linked to the World Bank's $1.2 billion funding commitment to the Padma Bridge project.

Seven people, including top government officials, were named in the case.

But in 2014, the charges were quietly withdrawn, a move that drew widespread criticism, both at home and abroad.

In January this year, nearly a decade later, the anti-graft body reopened the case and formed a high-power committee to reinvestigate it.

Since then, officials say fresh documents have surfaced, including files linked to then-Bridge Division secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan.

The ACC boss said, "Evidence of graft have already emerged. If anyone's involvement is proven, they will be held accountable, no matter how powerful they are."