Student Name: Mohammed Rahman
Teacher Name: Ms. Kristen Westrick
English 1101 CRN: 53134
7 March 2013
An Ethical Treatment of World Bank to Padma Bridge Project
Padma is most widespread river in Bangladesh. The Government of Bangladesh took plan to build up Padma Multipurpose Bridge. The project is estimated to cost US$2.4 billion and work is to begin 2013 with the target of completing the project by 2016. Bangladesh had request proposal to World Bank (WB), and other co-financier to invest in this project. In the hiring process of construction contractor, Bangladesh Government officials took unethical steps, but WB took ethical steps on this project.
The bridge, 6.15km in length, will connect 19 districts of the southwestern part of the country with the eastern part, including the capital Dhaka, and it will be linked with the Asian Highway. Development partners have agreed to co-finance about $2.2 billion, of which the WB will provide $1.2 billion, Asian Development Bank (ADB) $615 million, Islamic Development Bank (IDB) $130 million, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) $300 million and Abudhabi Fund (AF) $31.4 million. Corruption allegations come up against Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain and his firm Sahco. SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. a Canadian company was one of the participants in the bidding. Monetary gain of Communications Minister influenced bidding system to hire SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. as a main contractor. Allegations of corruption around the project forced WB to withdraw financing.
The WB found credible evidence corroborated by a variety of sources, which points to a high-level corruption conspiracy among Bangladeshi government officials, SNC Lavalin executives, and private individuals in connection with the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project. The WB provided evidence from two investigations to the Prime Minister, as well as the Minister of Finance and the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh (ACC) in September 2011 and April 2012 and urged the authorities of Bangladesh to investigate this matter fully and, where justified, prosecute those responsible for corruption. In Canada, where SNC Lavalin‘s headquarters are located, after executing numerous search warrants and a year-long investigation based on a referral from the WB, the Crown Prosecution Services brought corruption charges against two former SNC executives in connection with the Padma Bridge Project. The WB sought following actions to go forward with the project : (i) place all public
