HC asks ACC to investigate Tk23cr payment of tugboat at Ctg port

The High Court (HC) on Thursday has directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the incident of paying a bill of Tk23 crore for a tugboat without receiving it at Chattogram Port.

The ACC has been asked to submit the probe report within two months.

A bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice SM Mojibur Rahman passed the suo moto order after witnessing a report published in a national daily in this regard.

Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan stood for the ACC.

The report titled "Paying bill of Tk 23 crore without receiving tugboat" was published in a national daily on 19 August that stated the Chattogram Port Authority had inked an agreement with a contractor for Tk37.75 crore to buy a tugboat.

According to the agreement, the tugboat was scheduled to be delivered to the port authorities by 22 December, 2018.

However, the contractor company, New Western Marine Ship Builders Ltd, failed to provide it even after exceeding the time limit in several phases. In such a situation, the Ministry of Shipping directed to cancel the contract with the contractor.

But without following the ministry instructions the port authorities paid the contractor company Tk 23,08,83,343 in four steps.

Moreover, a project proposal was passed for the project undertaken by the port authorities to buy the tugboat.

The port authorities have violated the rules and increased the cost by Tk 3.03 crore and signed a contract with the contractor at Tk 37.75 crore.

The irregularities in the purchase of this vessel have came up in the report of a government agency.

The report said the agreement has cost the government a financial loss of Tk 23,08,83,343 which must be recovered.