The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against former Road Transport and Bridges minister Obaidul Quader and three others over allegations of irregularities and corruption in the Karnaphuli Tunnel construction project, which reportedly caused nearly Tk686 crore in losses to the state.
ACC Deputy Director Md Sirajul Haque filed the as the plaintiff on Thursday.
The other accused are former Bridges Division Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam, former Chief Engineer Kabir Ahmed, and former Joint Secretary Alim Uddin Ahmed.
At a Thursday afternoon briefing, ACC Director General (Prevention) Md Akhter Hossain said the accused, including Quader, colluded and misused their authority by ignoring the negotiation committee's recommended prices for the project. This, he said, resulted in financial losses of $59.80 million (approximately Tk585.29 crore) by including three non-essential components—service area, monitoring software, and a tugboat—without recommendations from the appointed foreign experts.
Additionally, the accused allegedly appointed consultants in violation of the Public Procurement Act, 2006 (PPA 2006) at a cost of Tk55.21 lakh, causing further losses to the state.
The ACC statement noted that while the negotiation committee had recommended implementing the project at a cost of $646 million, the inclusion of these three additional components was unnecessary and not advised by the foreign experts, leading to significant financial damage to the government and the public.
