Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Advisor Dr Mashiur Rahman on Sunday said he would have no problems stepping down if the Prime Minister wanted and it removed complications regarding the World Bank financing of the Padma bridge project.
He made the comment amid whispers that he had resigned to meet one of the global lender's conditions for getting back on board for the ambitious scheme.
"If my resignation resolves the complexity over the $ 2.9 billion loan, then why once, I will resign ten times if needed," Mashiur, also the project's integrity advisor, told journalists in front of his official Hare Road residence.
"But if there are any accusations, then the proofs behind them have to be presented and I will have to be given the scope to defend myself."
He skirted a direct reply when asked if he had resigned already. Mashiur said the government should come up with a statement on the matter first and then he might give his reactions. The Finance Minister will speak for the government, he insisted.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith did not appear for journalists to take questions on the issue, neither did he go to his office. Around 3:15pm, his Assistant Personal Secretary A S M Rashed told journalists that the Minister will not be talking with them on the issue just yet.
However, a well-placed source has confirmed bdnews24.com he met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina around noon.
bdnews24.com's Senior Correspondent Reazul Bashar said that the car carrying the advisor when he left his residence around 5:15pm had the flag of Bangladesh on it, a clear sign that he was still in office.
The Washington-based lender had given a number of conditions for the government to fulfil after raising graft allegations and suspended the fund for the project in September last year after Canadian authorities launched investigation against SNC-Lavalin, a firm shortlisted as consultant of the project.
On June 30, it cancelled its promised loan of $1.2 billion for the country's biggest-ever infrastructure project claiming that the government did not implement their requisites.
After the deal was scrapped, Information Communications and Technology Minister Syed Abul Hossain, who was the Communication Minister when the allegations were raised, resigned and former Bridges Secretary Mosharraf Hossain was sent on leave.
After Eid, rumours swirled that the advisor would also be following similar steps and a number of dailies ran stories on the issue on Saturday.
Muhith on Saturday told bdnews24.com at his Minto Road residence that the barriers to an understanding with the World Bank are being removed one by one. He also expressed hopes of reaching a resolution within a week.
The advisor time and again ducked questions from the media crew on Sunday about the gossips that he had stood down.
Mashiur went on to compare his predicament with a character of Franz Kafka's well-known novel 'The Trial': "The author showed a person on trial, but without saying what crime he had committed."
He also referred to James Frazer's comparative study of mythology and religion, The Golden Bough, and pointed out, "When people in ancient Greece started working on any establishment, they would put human blood in its foundation. When they were not getting any human blood, they started using chicken blood."
"When even that became scarce, they started building on the shadow of chickens. A business revolving around the shadow started afterwards."
At this stage, journalists asked whether the government was not giving him the scope to explain himself. Mashiur said, "If you want to blame anyone, he should be given the chance to defend himself."
The World Bank was to fund $ 1.2billion for the six-kilometre bridge that was estimated to cost $ 2.9billion. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were supposed to fund most of the remaining budget.
Even though, the World Bank cancelled their funding, ADB and JICA extended the deadline for their deals to Aug 31. So the government will have to reach a resolution with WB before that.
He made the comment amid whispers that he had resigned to meet one of the global lender's conditions for getting back on board for the ambitious scheme.
"If my resignation resolves the complexity over the $ 2.9 billion loan, then why once, I will resign ten times if needed," Mashiur, also the project's integrity advisor, told journalists in front of his official Hare Road residence.
"But if there are any accusations, then the proofs behind them have to be presented and I will have to be given the scope to defend myself."
He skirted a direct reply when asked if he had resigned already. Mashiur said the government should come up with a statement on the matter first and then he might give his reactions. The Finance Minister will speak for the government, he insisted.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith did not appear for journalists to take questions on the issue, neither did he go to his office. Around 3:15pm, his Assistant Personal Secretary A S M Rashed told journalists that the Minister will not be talking with them on the issue just yet.
However, a well-placed source has confirmed bdnews24.com he met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina around noon.
bdnews24.com's Senior Correspondent Reazul Bashar said that the car carrying the advisor when he left his residence around 5:15pm had the flag of Bangladesh on it, a clear sign that he was still in office.
The Washington-based lender had given a number of conditions for the government to fulfil after raising graft allegations and suspended the fund for the project in September last year after Canadian authorities launched investigation against SNC-Lavalin, a firm shortlisted as consultant of the project.
On June 30, it cancelled its promised loan of $1.2 billion for the country's biggest-ever infrastructure project claiming that the government did not implement their requisites.
After the deal was scrapped, Information Communications and Technology Minister Syed Abul Hossain, who was the Communication Minister when the allegations were raised, resigned and former Bridges Secretary Mosharraf Hossain was sent on leave.
After Eid, rumours swirled that the advisor would also be following similar steps and a number of dailies ran stories on the issue on Saturday.
Muhith on Saturday told bdnews24.com at his Minto Road residence that the barriers to an understanding with the World Bank are being removed one by one. He also expressed hopes of reaching a resolution within a week.
The advisor time and again ducked questions from the media crew on Sunday about the gossips that he had stood down.
Mashiur went on to compare his predicament with a character of Franz Kafka's well-known novel 'The Trial': "The author showed a person on trial, but without saying what crime he had committed."
He also referred to James Frazer's comparative study of mythology and religion, The Golden Bough, and pointed out, "When people in ancient Greece started working on any establishment, they would put human blood in its foundation. When they were not getting any human blood, they started using chicken blood."
"When even that became scarce, they started building on the shadow of chickens. A business revolving around the shadow started afterwards."
At this stage, journalists asked whether the government was not giving him the scope to explain himself. Mashiur said, "If you want to blame anyone, he should be given the chance to defend himself."
The World Bank was to fund $ 1.2billion for the six-kilometre bridge that was estimated to cost $ 2.9billion. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were supposed to fund most of the remaining budget.
Even though, the World Bank cancelled their funding, ADB and JICA extended the deadline for their deals to Aug 31. So the government will have to reach a resolution with WB before that.
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