Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 16 others, including six former cabinet ministers, over alleged irregularities in toll collection from the Meghna-Gomoti Bridge that investigators say cost the government more than $27 million.
According to the ACC, the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges in 2016 awarded the toll collection contract for the bridge to Computer Network Systems (CNS) Limited through a single-source deal, bypassing competitive bidding. The previous contractor’s legal tender was canceled without consultation, and CNS was granted a 17.75 percent service charge, excluding taxes.
From 2016 to 2022, CNS billed the government about $44 million, compared to roughly $1.35 million paid to the previous toll operator between 2010 and 2015. Investigators said this decision resulted in a loss of around $27.5 million to the state and significant gains to CNS and the officials who approved the deal.
The accused include senior ministers Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain, Obaidul Quader, Anisul Haque, and M A Mannan, along with former bureaucrats and company executives.
The ACC filed the case under sections 409, 420, and 109 of the Penal Code and section 5(2) of the Corruption Prevention Act of 1947, alleging abuse of power and collusion for personal gain.