# CPGCBL managing director Azad arrested . # An international consortium writes to Energy Advisor
# ACC launches investigation into CPGCBL corruption. # Next hearing on CPGCBL tender at High Court Tuesday
HP News: Matarbari ultra super critical power plant has turned into a fortune for the corrupt officials of state-owned Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) to amass wealth through wide range of anomalies in tender and procurement.
Project officials claimed quarters of top brass at CPGCBL have planned to embezzle Tk 50 billion in the coal import of the power plant in three years. Besides, the overall anomalies of Matarbari project topped Tk 17.7 billion in different forms of corruptions during the last 15 years of ousted Awami League regime.
The Navy has arrested seven people while smuggling electric cables worth about Tk 150 million from Matarbari power plant on early Sunday.
Law enforcement agencies members arrested CPGCBL Managing Director Abul Kalam Azad at Dhaka Airport on Sunday who tried to escape country on backdrop of huge corruption.
An international consortium on August 29 sent a letter to Power Energy and Minerals Advisor Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan citing the irregularities and corruption of dishonest officials of CGPCBL. The CGPCBL has invited international tenders for supply of 9.6 million metric tons coal to Matarbari plant for 3 years, as per the letter.
Despite the mention of experience in coal import and supply, the tender process was delayed for 10 months with the connivance of some unscrupulous officials to give illegal benefits to Meghna Group’s Unique Cement Consortium.
A group of CGPCBL has lingered the procurement process for ten months through amending the tender for four times to favour the disqualified Unique Cement consortium.
The initial conditions of the tender required that the contractor company must have experience in importing at least 12 million tonnes of coal, which is a relevant condition for tenders related to importing coal.
But the conditions were relaxed for giving an unfair advantage to a particular company. To favour the venture, the conditions were changed to an experience of importing 12 tonnes of iron, fertiliser and chemical, cement or food grains.
Meghna Group consortium has filed a writ petition in the High Court against an international consortium which brought allegations in tender irregularities. The hearing began at Supreme Court on Sunday where the public prosecutor was absence. The next hearing date is Tuesday.
Regarding the drive against Matarbari project officials, Maheshkhali police station’s officer-in-charge (OC) Sukanto Chakraborty said that an influential gang has prepared to smuggle a large amount of electric cables from Matarbari power plant
“A team led by Lieutenant Commander Syed Saqib Ahmed of Maheshkhali, started raiding the power plant on Saturday afternoon. Navy personnel seized electrical cables worth Tk 150 million from Jetty No. 4 of the port adjacent to the power plant by raiding from afternoon to night,” he said.
These electrical cables were being smuggled to Chittagong by filling four containers in a barge ship and Navy personnel immediately arrested seven people in this incident.
According to the police, during the interrogation of the Navy, the arrested persons said that these electrical cables were being taken to the private company Iqbal Marine in Chittagong for sale.
The arrestees confessed that CPGCBL managing director Abul Kalam Azad, chief engineer Saiful Islam and project security officer Mohammad Alfaz Hossain are also involved in the illegal shipment.
CPGCBL corrupt officials face allegations of widespread anomalies in the tender process for selling dry ash produced from used coal in the Matarbari Power Plant, after irregularities in the tender for supplying coal for the power plant.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has decided to investigate the allegation of illegal money laundering worth billions of taka. CPGCBL managing director Abdul Kalam Azad, Executive Director (Finance) Mohammed Shahid Ullah, Acting Chief Engineer Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Executive Engineer (Design) Kamrul Islam, Assistant Security Officer Alfaz Uddin and DGM (Deputation) Matiur Rahman are under scanner of the anti-graft watchdog.
