A court has imposed a travel ban on 17 leaders and activists of the Awami League, including ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Following an application by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court’s vacation bench judge, Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, issued the order on Sunday.
ACC’s public relations officer Tanzir Ahmed confirmed this information.
On behalf of the ACC, the case’s investigating officer and assistant director of the agency, Tanjil Hasan, filed an application seeking a travel ban on Sheikh Hasina and other former ministers and leaders of the Awami League government and its affiliates.
Tanjil Hasan is also the complainant in the same case, which was filed on 12 October.
The other accused who have been issued travel bans are Awami League General Secretary and former minister for for Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader, party presidium members Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Khondker Mosharraf Hossain, former law minister Anisul Haque, Mohammad Abdul Mannan, MAN Siddique, Md Faruq Jamil, Mohammad Shafiqul Karim, Moha. Firoz Iqbal, Ibn-e-Alam Hasan, Md Aftab Hossain Khan, Md Abdus Salam, Monir-Uz-Zaman Chowdhury, Selina Chowdhury, and Ikram Iqbal.
The ACC’s application stated that Computer Network System Limited, by calling for a single-source tender, submitted a bill of Tk489.43 crore in the context of receiving a work order for 5 years at a service charge rate of 17.75 percent (excluding VAT and IT), causing a financial loss of Tk309.42 crore to the government. The accused embezzled this money through collusion in a conspiracy by cheating and for their own benefit.
The ACC’s application further stated that the investigation has revealed that the accused named in the charge sheet may leave the country and, as such, there is risk of not only obstruction to case proceedings but also potential destruction of important evidence. The agency believes it is necessary to prevent the accused from traveling abroad for the sake of a proper investigation of the case.
According to case documents, in 2016, the previous tender was “deliberately canceled” to appoint Computer Network System (CNS) Limited as the toll collector for the Meghna-Gomti bridge, and a single-source tender was called.
Negotiations were held solely with CNS Limited, excluding other companies, to sign a five-year contract for toll collection. A specific amount for service charge was not fixed; rather, a rate was set. This rate was 17.75 percent of the collected toll (excluding VAT and income tax). Under the contract, CNS Limited submitted a total bill of Tk489.13 crore.
On the other hand, for toll collection of the same bridge from 2010-2015, MBEL-ATT did the work for only Tk 15.58 crore. Later, for the 2022-2025 period, UDC Construction Limited was given a work order for Tk67.54 crore (including VAT and income tax), which converts to approximately Tk112.58 crore for five years.
According to ACC’s inquiry, CNS Limited claimed an additional Tk67.43 crore for alleged “installation of new technology and infrastructure costs.”
Through comparative analysis, the ACC claims that awarding the work order to CNS Limited resulted in a total financial loss of approximately Tk309.42 crore to the government.
The ACC stated that directors of CNS Limited, some officials and employees of the Roads and Highways Department and the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, and members of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase colluded to carry out this irregularity.
Sheikh Hasina took refuge in India after the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024, following a student-led mass uprising. Her sister, Sheikh Rehana, departed with her.
Since then, news has emerged of several other top Awami League leaders taking refuge in India. The interim government has already requested the Indian government to return them.
The government is also considering going to international court if the matter is not resolved through bilateral diplomacy.
