Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Tuesday came down hard on the World Bank as he accused its Institutional Integrity Unit of 'jihadi' attitude and said the cell had no accountability.
"The World Bank has an integrity cell. It's a jihadist institution and it must be corrected. I've worked with it," he said at a roundtable at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the city.
"Jihad, I mean in a bad sense. He who thinks that I'm doing a corruption inquiry, it's a jihad. He destroys it. And let's try to avoid it."
About the ethics of the investigations unit, he said, "The integrity unit doesn't believe in right means for right ends. This unaccountable office at this jihadi spirit they are very much against corruption."
The Anti-Corruption Commission organised the roundtable titled 'Role of Information and Communication Technology in Combating Corruption'.
The Finance Minister hinted last week that all the misunderstandings with the Washington-based lender had been cleared. But several newspapers on Aug 25 said the World Bank would not finance the Padma bridge project as the Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Advisor Mashiur Rahman did not agree to step down as per the fourth condition for reviving its pledged financing.
Asked about the latest development on the funding for the country's largest-ever infrastructure, he had told reporters that a formal statement would be made soon. But he did not issue any formal statement until Tuesday.
According to media reports, the Finance Minister on Monday expressed his desire to step down at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. There was also heated exchange of words between Muhith and some other members of the cabinet at the meeting.
Muhith came up with his remarks on Tuesday at such a time when the government was trying to persuade the global lender to review the decision to not to release the promised loan to build the 6.15-kilometre bridge.
The World Bank on June 29 finally cancelled $ 1.2 billion fund for the $2.9 billion project, saying it had 'credible evidence' of high-level corruption by government officials, SNC-Lavalin executives and private individuals for the project.
Although the government later decided to build the bridge with its own resources, the Ministry of Finance has been trying simultaneously to bring the World Bank back on board .
The Bank put forward four conditions for any reconsideration of its funding support for constructing the bridge, which is expected to increase Bangladesh's GDP growth rate by 1.2 percent.
As per the WB conditions, Information and Communications Technology Minister Syed Abul Hossain, who was the Communications Minister when the allegation was raised, stepped down and former Bridges Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan went on leave.
"The World Bank has an integrity cell. It's a jihadist institution and it must be corrected. I've worked with it," he said at a roundtable at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the city.
"Jihad, I mean in a bad sense. He who thinks that I'm doing a corruption inquiry, it's a jihad. He destroys it. And let's try to avoid it."
About the ethics of the investigations unit, he said, "The integrity unit doesn't believe in right means for right ends. This unaccountable office at this jihadi spirit they are very much against corruption."
The Anti-Corruption Commission organised the roundtable titled 'Role of Information and Communication Technology in Combating Corruption'.
The Finance Minister hinted last week that all the misunderstandings with the Washington-based lender had been cleared. But several newspapers on Aug 25 said the World Bank would not finance the Padma bridge project as the Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Advisor Mashiur Rahman did not agree to step down as per the fourth condition for reviving its pledged financing.
Asked about the latest development on the funding for the country's largest-ever infrastructure, he had told reporters that a formal statement would be made soon. But he did not issue any formal statement until Tuesday.
According to media reports, the Finance Minister on Monday expressed his desire to step down at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. There was also heated exchange of words between Muhith and some other members of the cabinet at the meeting.
Muhith came up with his remarks on Tuesday at such a time when the government was trying to persuade the global lender to review the decision to not to release the promised loan to build the 6.15-kilometre bridge.
The World Bank on June 29 finally cancelled $ 1.2 billion fund for the $2.9 billion project, saying it had 'credible evidence' of high-level corruption by government officials, SNC-Lavalin executives and private individuals for the project.
Although the government later decided to build the bridge with its own resources, the Ministry of Finance has been trying simultaneously to bring the World Bank back on board .
The Bank put forward four conditions for any reconsideration of its funding support for constructing the bridge, which is expected to increase Bangladesh's GDP growth rate by 1.2 percent.
As per the WB conditions, Information and Communications Technology Minister Syed Abul Hossain, who was the Communications Minister when the allegation was raised, stepped down and former Bridges Division Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan went on leave.
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