Abul Hossain: Allegations against me were complete lies

“I had to leave the cabinet amid uproar following the allegation of plotting corruption in the Padma Bridge project raised by the World Bank,” the former minister said in a written statement, issued several hours after a Canadian court cleared three SNC Lavalin officials from the Padma Bridge graft case on Saturday. “The verdict of the Canadian court proves that the allegation that was brought against me was not only a lie, but also a conspiracy,” he said. “I have been a victim of the falsehood by the World Bank and some vested interest groups in the country.” The former minister said the World Bank and vested groups had tried to publicly defame him. He also said the allegations that were brought against his firm SAHCO International Limited were also false, conspiratorial and premeditated. “The activities of the WB legal adviser during his visit to Bangladesh, the falsehood he launched against the government, the Padma Bridge, and me will be remembered as a black episode of conspiracy in the history of Bangladesh,” Abul said. The allegations had humiliated him and his family, he said. “Three secretary level officials were imprisoned and I had to leave cabinet. I was demeaned before my constituents,” said Abul Hossain. “In Canada, the bank account of my son-in-law was probed. The bank account of my close relatives were investigated,” he said. “What is the remedy to those false media reports, cartoons, editorials, excesses against me that damaged my reputation?” he asked. Pointing at some newspapers, he also alleged that those papers not only exaggerated the allegations of World Bank but brought other false allegations which were all premeditated. He said in the statement that his only regret was that for the local and foreign conspiracies had delayed the implementation of the Padma bridge project. “Today with the verdict the truth has been revealed, and I am proved innocent.” The Anti-Corruption Commission filed a case pressurised by the World Bank in 2012, but they did not find any evidence in two years of investigation. He said the work of Padma Bridge had been executed with speed during his tenure. “The Padma Bridge is being build under the design formulated in my time, and the mega projects that was undertaken during my time are now being implemented,” he said. The nation feels proud about these projects, he added. “The prime minister has made history, proved her foresightedness with the decision of running the project with our own financing, for which I pay my gratitude to her,” he said. Abul concluded by wishing that those who conspired or helped with the false allegations of the World Bank should find the path of truth.