ACC approves case against Tangail mayor in ‘bridge corruption scandal’
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved a case against Tangail Mayor S M Sirajul Haque and five others for alleged corruption in the construction of the Beradoma Bridge.
The other accused in the case are three engineers, a project director, and a contractor.
When contacted about the case, the mayor told The Business Standard, “I am now in Australia for personal work. I don’t know anything about the case yet, so I don’t want to talk about it at this moment.”
The Beradoma Bridge collapsed on 16 June 2022. There were media reports of irregularities and corruption in the construction of the bridge, including the use of bamboo instead of rods.
The ACC investigated the matter and found that the contractor company did not follow the drawings and designs. The engineers only warned the contractor company by letter, but did not take any steps to stop the casting work. They were also present during the casting.
There were also allegations of widespread irregularities and excessive billing in the construction of the bridge.
The ACC case has been filed under Section 409/109 of the Penal Code and Section 5 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
The case was earlier recommended for approval by the ACC in a letter signed on 22 February.
