Dhaka: The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has initiated legal proceedings against 17 individuals, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and six of her cabinet members, over allegations of irregularities in toll collection from the Meghna-Gomoti Bridge.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Deputy Director of the Public Relations Department of the ACC, Md Aktarul Islam, confirmed that the anti-graft body approved a proposal to file the case against Sheikh Hasina and the others. The ACC has accused the individuals of engaging in irregular activities during the signing of the toll collection agreement for the bridge, resulting in a government loss exceeding Taka 300 crore.
The list of accused includes former ministers Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Khandkar Mosharaf Hossain, Obaidul Quader, Anisul Haque, and M A Mannan. Other defendants are former secretary MAN Siddiq, former additional secretary Md Faruk Jalil, former deputy secretary Md Shafiqul Karim, and former engineers of the Roads and Highways Division and Bridges Division, namely Md Firoz Iqbal, Ibn Alam Hassan, Md Aftab Hossain Khan, and Md Abdus Salam. Additionally, managing director of CNS Limited Munir Uzzaman Chowdhury, along with its directors Selina Chowdhury and Iqram Iqbal, have also been implicated.
The ACC's investigation revealed that in 2016, the responsibility for toll collection was assigned to Computer Network Systems (CNS) Limited through a single quotation process. This occurred after the concerned ministry canceled an existing legal tender and signed a new agreement without consulting other firms. The new agreement permitted CNS Limited to receive a 17.75 percent service charge, excluding VAT and Income Tax, from the total collected tolls.
As a result of this agreement, CNS Limited billed the government Taka 489 crore for toll collection, contrasting with Taka 15 crore paid to a joint venture company for similar services from 2010 to 2015. The ACC disclosed that the government incurred a loss of Taka 309 crore from 2016 to 2022 due to the single-source agreement with CNS Limited.
The accused are alleged to have colluded for personal or third-party gain, engaging in corruption through misuse of power and fraudulent activities. The ACC has filed the case under section 409/420/109 of the Bangladesh Penal Code and section 5(2) of the Corruption Prevention Act of 1947.