Former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader -File Photo

   DHAKA, Aug 28, 2025 (BSS) - The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today filed a case against former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader and three others accusing them of misappropriating Taka 585.29 crore in constructing the Karnaphuli Tunnel.

   ACC’s director general Akhter Hossain in a media briefing said the four were accused of corruption, power abuse, and criminal misconduct in construction of the Karnaphuli Tunnel near the soueastern port city of Chattogram.

   The three other accused are retired secretary and then executive director of Bangladesh Bridge Authority Khandaker Anwarul Islam, retired chief engineer Kabir Ahmed and former director of the of the same office Alim Uddin Ahmed.

   “They (accused) violated provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2006,” Hossain said adding that by appointing individual consultants at a cost of Tk 55.21 lakh they caused further losses to the state.

   ACC deputy director M Sirajul Haque filed the case on completion of an investigation by a three-member committee led by him.

   According to the case statement the accused deliberately ignored the negotiation committee’s approved price structure and incorporated three unnecessary components in the project — a service area, monitoring software, and a tug boat — without recommendations from foreign experts.

   An ACC official said the tunnel was built under the Karnaphuli River in 2010 with a “fanciful purpose” while its maintenance cost now appeared as a 'thorn in the government’s throat'.

   “The Karnaphuli tunnel was an ambitious project of the Awami League government, which could be compared to 'raising sharks in a pond',” the official said preferring anonymity.
 
   The ACC investigation found that after construction of the tunnel Tk. 9.35 crore was being spent every month as maintenance and ancillary expenses.
 
   It found that Tk. 205,85,63,561 was spent to meet maintenance, salary, allowance and ancillary expenses of the tunnel from October 2023 to July 2025, while the structure earned Tk. 67,25,54,100 during the same period.

   The ACC officials said further investigations into the case was still underway and they expected deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the then ECNEC committee members to be included in the list of accused as well.