The tantalizing Padma bridge construction scandal is rolling more heads and snatching sleeps of many bigwigs across the globe. A global hunt is on to trace the trail of huge sums of money, to the tune of $35 million, alleged to have been paid as kickbacks to a number of Bangladeshis by the Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin company which was contracted to act as a consultant for the $2.9 billion mega project.
The hunt follows the launching of an investigation in early last year by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) against the concerned SNC-Lavalin officials, as well as the beneficiaries of the kickbacks in and outside Canada.

The tentacles of investigation have spread further since an eight-member RCMP team had travelled to Dhaka and had held meeting on June 26 with officials from Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to share their findings relating to the kickback allegation involving the 6.5 km - long bridge construction project.

In North America, law enforcers are investigating a number of US companies; including the Infolink International, Nova BD International LLC, SEAMEWE-4 undersea cable, Tyco Communications (USA), Wazed Consulting and Sim Global Services.
“The trail of the ill-gotten fund is being traced in huge real estate investment too,” confirmed a reliable source, insisting on anonymity. The investigators are honing into the source of fund used to pay outstanding mortgages for two comfy houses: one at 3817 Bell Manor Court, Falls Church, Virginia, and the other at 4823 Martin Street, Alexandria (VA 22312).

The investigators are also chasing the trail of an investment of about Can$8 million in the acquisition of six dollar stores and other assets in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) by two Bangladeshi businessmen linked with the scam. The Canadian investments have changed ownership since the launching of the RCMP investigation, it was learnt.
Earlier, the World Bank claimed that it was in possession of credible evidence and had shared the evidence with the Bangladesh authorities with respect to the bona fide of the crime. Citing concerns over the lingering inactivity of the Bangladesh government in investigating and taking appropriate actions against the recipients of the alleged kickbacks, the WB scrapped a $1.2 billion loan for the project on June 30.

Within Canada, the scandal has become a challenging assignment for the authorities. Since the launching of the RCMP investigation at the behest of the World Bank in February 2011, the authorities laid formal charges against SNC-Lavalin’s former chief executive, Pierre Duhaime, and two of the project executives - Ismail Hossain (a Bangladeshi Canadian) and Ramesh Shah (an Indo-Canadian).

A high-profiled Canadian Senator, Hugh Segal, who has been a long time member of SNC-Lavalin’s Board of Directors, has also resigned abruptly from the company’s directorship following the RCMP crackdown. Segal is a member of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Anti-Terrorism committees.
Although an independent confirmation could not be made whether Segal too is under investigation or not, a reliable source confirmed that at least four Canada-based Bangladeshis are being investigated upon, two of them close relatives of some very high-ups in Bangladesh.

Earlier, Canadian authorities have impounded the passports of the two relatives of the Bangladeshi politician to prevent them from leaving Canada, but the duo had left the country three weeks ago with their Bangladeshi passports.

The RCMP is unwilling to comment about the passport seizure saga, the case being under investigation and judicial proceedings. The Holiday, however, has learnt that the two relatives of the Bangladeshi high-ups are in Dhaka and their sprawling, pricy residence in a Toronto suburb is being manned by friends and party loyalists.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Ismail and Ramesh Shah, arrested on February 20, are still languishing in prison as their bails have been denied. The duo have had their fourth court appearance on June 25 since they were detained and charged formally on April 11 under subsection 3(1) of Canada’s Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act for exerting influence and offering bribes to foreign officials to secure business.
Within Bangladesh, the alleged beneficiaries of the kickback include former communications minister (later minister for Information and Communications Technology) Syed Abul Hossain, former state minister for foreign affairs, Abul Hasan Chowdhury, former secretary of the bridges division of the communications ministry, Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, former director of Padma Multipurpose Bridge project, Rafiqul Islam, three high-profiled businessmen with stakes in the project, and, a ruling party MP.
(Source, Weekly Holiday, 10/08/2012)