ACC enquiry clears Khaleda

The Anti-Corruption Commission has exonerated former prime minister Khaleda Zia from charges of misappropriation of Tk 100 crore in the construction of Bhairab bridge as an ACC enquiry found no evidence of this.
The probe followed allegations that Tk 100 crore was misappropriated in the name of paying compensation to the firm that constructed the bridge on the Meghna.
The enquiry found that the compensation was given (to UK firm Edmund Nuttal Ltd) by the then BNP-led alliance government in addition to the construction cost in compliance with the rules, regulations and conditions of the contract.
"There is no evidence that criminal intention influenced the process of compensation. It was given under specific circumstances and following proper procedure," ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman told The Daily Star yesterday.
Construction of the Tk 400 crore bridge began during the tenure of the previous Awami League government in 1999 and ended in 2002 when BNP headed by Khaleda was in power.
"There was nothing wrong in the activities of the government to deal with the issue of compensation," read an ACC document prepared after evaluating its probe report.
"A government has to take a lot of decisions to keep the state running. In this case, the decision of compensation for the company was not influenced by any individual interest," said a top official of the ACC, requesting anonymity.
Meanwhile, the anti-graft body last year exempted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from two allegations as enquiries found those baseless.
The ACC, however, filed a fresh case last year against Khaleda, leader of the opposition in parliament.
"Development activities of the state might face serious impediment in future if the activities (of BNP-led government concerning Bhairab bridge) are considered to be corruption only on the ground of "time-barred,'" read the ACC document.
Primarily, the consultant for construction of the bridge rejected the compensation demand on the ground of being "time-barred." And it is the only ground the probe found concerning charges f misappropriation of public money against the then prime minister.
The construction firm had demanded compensation of 17.847 million pounds on 13 grounds on different occasions during construction of the bridge. Though the demands were made following due procedure, the firm failed to produce details of the grounds within the stipulated 28 day- time.
Following refusal to pay the compensation, the matter was taken to the Dispute Adjudication Board, which decided payment of 11.503 million pounds in compensation. Both the government and the UK firm refused to accept the decision.
Then on the advice of legal experts and others concerned in the law ministry, the matter was settled amicably and a compensation of 8.60 lakh pounds was paid to the firm.