The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has failed to complete its investigation into allegations of embezzlement involving Tk 4,515.52 crore in a major Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) project to procure 35 dredgers and vessels.
The case involves BIWTA's former chairman Rear Admiral Golam Sadeq and several senior officials. The investigation, launched in 2022, remains incomplete even after nearly five years of the project's implementation period.
ACC investigation officer Rakibul Hayat said he has been collecting project-related documents and information on the accused officials. He added that the officials concerned had been summoned for questioning, but progress has been slow as the project is still ongoing and scheduled to end in 2027.
He also said BIWTA authorities had requested him to follow a "go-slow policy" in completing the probe.
However, sources said no significant investigative progress has been made since 2022. Earlier, the ACC had approved a case against 13 individuals, including Golam Sadeq, over alleged corruption in the lease of a river ghat.
According to project documents, the dredger procurement scheme was initiated in October 2018 to purchase 35 dredgers, 161 watercraft, and construct dredger bases and a training institute, with an initial cost of Tk 4,489.34 crore. The project was scheduled for completion in June 2023 but was later extended to June 2025, with costs rising to Tk 4,515.52 crore. It has since been extended again to June 2027.
Despite delays, allegations of irregularities and corruption persisted throughout the project, including in dredger procurement and related contracts. Initial ACC findings reportedly pointed to revised estimates and the awarding of work to selected companies. There were also allegations of fund diversion under the guise of "technology transfer".
Investigators also summoned project documents and six BIWTA officials, including Golam Sadeq, in late 2024, while the former chairman was again questioned in March 2025. However, no major follow-up action has been taken since.
Sadeq, then a Commodore, served as BIWTA chairman from January 2020 to March 2023 on deputation. During his tenure, he faced multiple allegations related to procurement and leasing decisions, including the approval of a ghat lease at Nagarbari-Kazirhat-Naradha River Port for Tk 2 crore despite objections from an internal evaluation committee.
