The High Court on Sunday extended time until October 30 for the government to form a commission to identify people who made up false stories about corruption involving the Padma Bridge project and to submit an investigation report in this regard.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order during hearing a Suo Moto (voluntary) rule on this issue.
Earlier on June 28 this year, the HC bench led by Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder ordered the government to form a commission within 30 days and the commission had been asked to submit an investigation report in this regard to the court in two months.
However, the respondents of the government could not form any commission yet on the issue. On Sunday, Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik sought time from the HC bench for complying with its June 28 order.
Lawyer Abdun Nur Dulal appeared for Bangladesh Bridge Authority, while senior lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan argued for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during the hearing of the rule.
The World Bank signed an agreement to finance the Padma Bridge, the largest infrastructure project of Bangladesh, but later withdrew them from the project raising corruption allegation. After that Bangladesh implemented this project with its own initiatives.
Canadian police sued some top officials of SNC-Lavalin, a Canadian construction firm that was involved with the project. However, Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Canada after the trial acquitted the accused from all the charges at the prosecution’s request terming the allegation as being gossip and rumour.
Following some news clippings a HC bench on February 15, 2017, issued a rule asking the government to explain why they should not be directed to form an enquiry commission to identify the "real culprits who were behind conspiracy against the nation by creating false stories of corruption” in the Padma Bridge project.
It also wanted to know in the rule why the respondents should not be directed to bring those who were behind such stories to justice.
Later the matter came to the HC bench led by Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder for a hearing. After hearing the rule, the High Court bench ordered the formation of a commission.