The World Bank (WB) made its position clear again on Sunday about its funding for Padma Bridge project to depend largely on substantial progress in the inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) into the allegations of graft relating to selection of its consultant.

"The external panel is here and one of their jobs is to assess whether they (ACC) have made sufficient progress in carrying forward effectively the investigation process. If they make sufficient progress, then we can be hopeful about the beginning of the construction of the bridge," WB Country Director Ellen Goldstein told reporters Sunday after the Bank's external panel had a meeting with the Commission.

A three-member external panel of the WB, led by former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, reached Dhaka last Saturday for the second time in less then two months' time only to find out the progress made by the ACC in its inquiry into the allegations of corruption relating to this major infrastructure project.

Two other members of the team are: Timothy Tong, former commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China, and Richard Alderman, former director of the UK Serious Fraud Office.

The panel of internationally recognised experts went to the ACC headquarters at about 3:10pm and held a meeting with the high-ups of the commission that lasted for nearly 90 minutes.

The WB country director said free and fair investigation into the alleged corruption was a critical step to facilitate the go-ahead with the construction of bridge.

"We're encouraged by the developments so far, we expect to have more meetings in the next three or four days and if there is sufficient progress, then we would be hopeful about the building the bridge," she said.

About the recent meeting of co-financiers of the US$2.9 billion project in Manila, she said this was a preliminary discussion to determine how to revive the implementation arrangements for the project, in the event of sufficient progress being made in the matter of investigation into alleged corruption, prior to taking effective moves to go ahead with the construction.

Replying to a question, the chief of the WB's country director in Dhaka said, "It is the ACC that has to take action and it is in their hand to take action in order to make the bridge into a reality."

Legal adviser of the ACC Anisul Haque said the WB panel asked the watchdog body to strengthen and expedite its ongoing inquiry process.

News: The Daily Financial Express/Bangladesh/3rd-Dec-12