Editorial
Why the foot-dragging on the Padma Bridge graft probe?
ACC should act independently
The letter sent by the chief of the World Bank-appointed external panel to the Anti-Corruption Commission, ACC, on Tuesday expressed concern about the scope of the probe being conducted into the alleged graft in the Padma bridge project. This is unsettling.
So far we have been getting confusing reactions from the ACC about the WB panel's position on the ongoing probe. The chairman and one of the anti-graft watchdog's commissioners have been providing a rather positive impression to the press about WB panel's stance on the probe.
But the tenor of Tuesday's letter of the WB panel contradicts this view as in its reference to the First Information Report, FIR, the latter has made its 'concern' rather explicit.
We note that he WB external panel's chairman in an earlier letter to the ACC chairman on January 9 urged him to provide clarifications about some queries it had made in it about the probe as well as the FIR.
But the last letter makes it clear that the WB panel is yet to get the clarifications from the ACC "to assess whether a complete and fair investigation is underway." The ACC must come clean about the probe to the satisfaction of all concerned.
Why is it that the Padma Bridge, the realisation of which seemed so near, is being pushed away in this manner?
In its 60 years' history, the World Bank never revived a loan after cancelling it. What can be a more glaring example than this of its steadfast commitment to the Padma Bridge project?
From the very start, the ACC seems to have set itself on a programme to play down the conspiracy allegation and has been continually shooting itself in the foot knowing full well what repercussions it may lead to.
It appears that the ACC has gone out of its way to exonerate somebody or other from the allegation. Why must one single person be allowed to stand in the way of the Bridge risking a second time cancellation of the loan?
The external panel is independent of the World Bank and is manned by experts of global standing in establishing integrity. The silver lining is that the WB panel has kept the ACC engaged in order to get to the bottom of the truth.
If ACC is really an independent anti-graft body, it should behave like one and help the WB panel to clear the way for the loan to build the nation's dream project.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments