The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader and 13 former secretaries over allegations of illegally using land, acquired for rehabilitating people affected by the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project, to construct flats for government officials and leasing them out on a long-term basis.
ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain disclosed the development at a media briefing on Monday.
The accused are former minister Obaidul Quader, former Bridges Division senior secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam, former Road Transport and Highways Division secretary Md Nazrul Islam, former Public security division secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed, former power secretary Dr Ahmed Kaikaus, former land secretary Abdul Jalil, former water resources secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan, former CAG and current Sonali Bank chairman Dr Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, former parliament secretariat senior secretary Mohammad Shahidul Haque, former PMO principal coordinator Zuena Aziz, former railway secretary Md Mofazzel Hossain, former Economic Relations Division (ERD) senior secretary Kazi Shofiqul Azam, former defence secretary Akhtar Hossain Bhuiyan, and former Energy and Mineral Resources Division secretary and ex-NBR chairman Dr Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem.
According to the case statement, during the 106th board meeting of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, the then executive director and senior secretary of the Bridge Division, Khandaker Anwarul Islam proposed constructing residential buildings for officers and employees of the authority and related departments.
The board also approved the policy titled ‘Policy on Long-Term Lease of Flats for Permanent Employees of Bangladesh Bridge Authority and Related Offices/Projects—2018’.
However, the ACC investigation found that 40 acres of land had been acquired to build housing for people affected by the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project. The gazette notification listed rehabilitation as the sole purpose of acquisition.
Investigators discovered that instead of using the acquired land for that stated purpose, the Bridge Authority used it to construct permanent housing for government officials under 99-year leases, without the mandatory approval from the Land Ministry as required under Section 19(1) of the Acquisition and Requisition of Immovable Property Act, 2017.
The ACC concluded that these actions violated the law. While Section 13(2) of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority Act, 2016 allows only temporary leasing of its land, the construction and permanent leasing of flats for government employees was found to be unlawful.
The ACC said legal action has been initiated against all officials responsible for approving and implementing the project.
