Staff CorrespondentThe telecommunication ministry yesterday asked Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Ltd (BTCL) to make a report for the ministry detailing Siemens' contract for the government mobile phone project (TeleTalk) so that it (govt) can go for legal action.
The move came at a meeting between Telecom Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju and BTCL high officials at the Secretariat.
Sources said BTCL, formerly BTTB (Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board), has been asked to inform the government how Siemens bagged the contract for '10 lakh mobile project' by bribing Arafat Rahman Koko, younger son of the then prime minister Khaleda Zia.
"The government is likely to discuss the issue in the next parliament session, and therefore we asked for detailed background of the bribery," said a high official of the ministry who attended yesterday's meeting.
Siemens Bangladesh Ltd already admitted that between May 2001 and August 2006, it made payments of at least $5,319,839 in bribes to Bangladesh officials, and to Koko through purported business consultants in exchange for favourable treatment during the process of bidding for '10 lakh mobile project' of the BTTB.
On December 18 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) with the help of Singapore government traced 20.61 lakh Singaporean dollars and 2.61 lakh US dollars in Koko's Singapore bank accounts, which are allegedly linked to the bribery.
The US Department of Justice recently moved to confiscate nearly $3 million from Koko's bank accounts in Singapore.
According to an international probe, the total amount of bribe money paid to Bangladesh officials, politicians, and Koko was $200 million, which might even turn out to be much more upon further investigation.
An international team of investigators including an FBI agent was in Bangladesh recently, sharing evidence with local law enforcement agencies, and seeking help from them in recovering the laundered bribe money for handing it over to Bangladesh.
The delegation left last week, saying FBI agents will come here repeatedly until the laundered money is recovered and handed over.
