JS body decides to summon Matin

Allegation of corruption
A sub-committee formed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Shipping Ministry at its meeting yesterday decided to summon former shipping adviser Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin to hear his version about allegations of corruption against him in  awarding a container handling contract at Chittagong Port.
The sub-committee however did not fix any date for summoning the former adviser to appear before the committee.
The sub-committee at its meeting  held in the prliament building yesterday observed that there were anomalies in the tender process to award the contract to Eshak Brothers.
“In the preliminary investigation, it seems massive corruption took place in the tender process,” Shah Alam, chief of the sub-committee, told reporters after the meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
On the basis of the primary findings, Shah Alam said the sub-committee decided to summon MA Matin to appear before it to hear his version on the alleged corruption allegations against him.
The contract was awarded on January 6, 2009, on the last day of his office as the adviser to the caretaker government.
The members of the sub-committee alleged that Everest Enterprise was the lowest bidder in the tender and qualified to get the work order, but the work order was cancelled without showing any reason.
“MA Matin spoke rhetorical words, but he could not refrain himself from the greed of money,” Nazrul Islam Babu, ruling Awami League lawmaker and a member of the sub-committee, told reporters.
Following the formation of the sub-committee, the former adviser however rejected the allegations of corruption against him.
The sub committee was formed in the last month to investigate into the alleged involvement of former adviser MA Matin in awarding a contract.
Matin, one of the advisers of the immediate-past military-installed caretaker government headed by Fakhruddin Ahmed, is the first adviser to face such a probe.
During that time Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, the committee chairman told the media that they had formed the probe body as the committee members think that adviser Matin exerted his influence in awarding the contract to a novice company.
He also mentioned that Matin processed and awarded the contract within 24 hours.
 “Matin had earlier scrapped a tender without showing any reason for revoking the process in which lowest bidder Everest Enterprise was selected for the project,” Chowdhury said.
According to shipping ministry sources, Matin, a retired major general was the chief coordinator of the past caretaker government’s anti-corruption drives, gave the contract to Isahaq Brothers for three years at a cost of Tk 440 per container.
Everest Enterprise was the lowest bidder in the earlier tender with a similar offer, they said.
Chittagong Port Authority invited the tender as the tenure of the current operator Saif PowerTech is coming to an end.
 
Courtesy of The Independent