7 Padma bridge accused acquitted

Court Correspondent: A Dhaka court has acquitted all the seven government officials including former Bridges Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan from the Padma bridge corruption case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Zahirul Haque passed the order on Sunday after Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had submitted a report clearing them of the graft charges.

They are former Bridges Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Superintendent Engineer of Bangladesh Bridge Authority Kazi Mohammad Ferdous, Executive Engineer of Roads and Highways Department Reaz Ahmed Zaber, and former local agent of SNC Lavalin Mohammad Mostofa and its ex-officials Mohammad Ismail, Ramesh Shah and Kevin Wales.

 

Acting on the final report placed by the ACC, Judge MD Zahirul Haque of the Senior Special Judge’s Court of Dhaka passed the ruling this morning.

On September 14 this year, Mirza Jahidul Alam, ACC deputy director and the investigation officer of the case, submitted the final report to the court saying the charges could not be proved against the accused.

On September 3, the ACC, in a controversial move, cleared all accused in the Padma bridge corruption conspiracy case and also exonerated former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain and former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury though their names came in the scam.

The commission on December 17 in 2012 filed the Padma bridge graft case with Banani Police Station accusing them.

Risingbd/Oct 26, 2014/Bappa/Mukul