The scandal implicated officials associated with the Bangladesh Awami League government and raised concerns about transparency in the project's funding and contracting process.
[5] The World Bank alleged that, there had been a "conspiracy" plotted to stage a high-level corruption in the project:[citation needed] The World Bank has credible evidence corroborated by a variety of sources which points to a high-level corruption conspiracy among Bangladeshi government officials, SNC Lavalin executives, and private individuals in connection with the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project.They have provided the Bangladeshi government with evidence of the corruption plot and stated that they could not move forward with the loan if no action was taken:[citation needed] To be willing to go forward with the alternative turnkey-style approach, they sought the following actions: (i) place all public officials suspected of involvement in the corruption scheme on leave from Government employment until the investigation is completed; (ii) appoint a special inquiry team within the ACC to handle the investigation, and (iii) agree to provide full and adequate access to all investigative information to a panel appointed by the World Bank composed of internationally recognized experts so that the panel can give guidance to the lenders on the progress, adequacy, and fairness of the investigation.
The response has been unsatisfactory at the time.SNC-Lavalin official Ramesh Saha's diary had a list of Bangladeshi citizens who were to receive 10–12% commission for awarding the Padma Bridge contract to SNC-Lavalin.
[10] Since the World Bank withdrew its involvement, the estimated cost of the bridge has climbed by over US$3 billion[11] and the expected completion date is being pushed back by four years to 2022.
On the basis of ACC's report, Dhaka district judge court acquitted all the seven government officials who were alleged to have been involved in the corruption plot.