Form commission to identify ‘Padma graft story makers’: HC

The High Court today directed the government to form an enquiry commission by August 31 to identify the “culprits who made up false stories” about a corruption conspiracy involving the Padma Bridge project.

The court also asked the government to submit a report before it on October 3 after complying with the directive.

The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Mohammad Ullah came up with the order during hearing a suomoto (voluntary) rule issued on February 15 this year, Deputy Attorney General Tapas Kumar Biswas told The Daily Star.

He said the HC ordered the cabinet secretary to submit the compliance report before the court on October 3, as the court will remain on an annual vacation between August 25 and September 30.

Read More: 'False Padma Stories': HC asks for report on probe move

Earlier in the day, DAG Tapas informed the court that the government is in the process of forming a commission to identify the persons who had fabricated allegations of corruption in the Padma bridge project.

He said the high government officials in a meeting on May 7 this year decided that the commission would be formed through issuing a gazette notification under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1956.

On February 15, the same HC bench ordered the government to explain as to why it should not be directed to form an enquiry for identifying the “culprits who made up false stories” about a corruption conspiracy involving the project.

In the suomoto rule, the HC also asked the authorities to explain why they should not be ordered to bring the responsible people to justice.

It issued the rule following reports published in Daily Inqilab and some other print and electronic media on the Padma Bridge construction and corruption allegation.

The World Bank, the main financier of the project, raised the “corruption conspiracy” allegation in 2011 and eventually withdrew itself from the project. Canadian police later sued several top officials of SNC-Lavalin, a Canadian construction firm, on corruption allegations.