WB stopped loan for one man's conspiracy: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that as it was against the interest of one particular individual, false graft allegation was brought involving Padma Bridge and the World Bank stopped lending loan support on the basis of that allegation.

Without mentioning any name, the prime minister said, "False allegation was brought because of one particular person. The World Bank stopped financing the Padma Bridge on false graft allegation".

Due to the false corruption allegation, a minister had to resign and a secretary had to suffer imprisonment, said the prime minister, who is also the ECNEC chairperson.

The premier made the comments in her introductory speech while chairing the weekly ECNEC meeting held at the NEC conference room today, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters.

"If we could have been able to start the construction work on Padma Bridge in due time its work would have been completed by 2016 for traffic movement and country's economic growth would have reached 8 percent," said the prime minister.

It is disgraceful for an organisation like World Bank to stop loan support on false graft allegation, the prime minister said, adding that the names of the people of the country who were involved in this conspiracy would come out one day.