Keep Abul mum on Padma bridge issue
Ministers request PM
Some senior ministers, at different times in the last two days, have requested Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to refrain former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain from making public statements on the Padma bridge project, sources said.
Abul's statements on his role in the project were affecting the government's image as World Bank, only days ago, had cancelled its $1.2 billion credit for the project, said the ministers.
World Bank, in a statement on June 29, stated that it had cancelled the credit for the project with immediate effect as it had proof of corruption conspiracy involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and individuals.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, one of the ministers, on condition of anonymity, said Abul was facing an image crisis at the backdrop of World Bank's corruption allegations against him regarding the project.
“If he tries to explain his position now, people will react more in the wake of the loan cancellation. We have therefore requested the prime minister to refrain him from making public statements,” the minister said at the Secretariat.
Meanwhile, another minister said they were embarrassed over what Abul had been saying over the media.
On what the prime minister had said on hearing their request, the minister said the premier had listened to them and assured them that necessary steps would be taken in this regard.
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