Matin rebuffs corruption claims

Former shipping adviser MA Matin has rebuffed the allegations against him and says ”a group” is trying to bring the Chittagong port back to the days before Jan 11, 2007 to commit corruption, reports bdnews24.com.
He claimed that a specific group is being ”favoured” to spoil the successes in the last two years in improving the skill and speed of work in the port, increasing the average time of anchorage of the ships and in eliminating corruption.
Matin said he is being made the ”scapegoat” for not giving work order to the company favoured by the group.
“I was never put to question in my entire career. I have executed big responsibilities with honesty and integrity. After facing these allegations at the end of my life I feel that this country is not for good people,” he told reporters at his Panchlaish residence in Chittagong on Sunday morning.
The port-related parliamentary standing committee raised allegations against the former adviser for giving work to a company in running Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT).
The former caretaker government adviser said maximum transparency and accountability was maintained in the tender process.
“The work was given to Esak Brothers following all the rules of the government”s purchase committee, on the basis of the proposal of the board of Chittagong Port Authorities and screening at the related department of the shipping ministry,” he said.
“The government would save around Tk 100 crore in three years by approving the lowest bidder,” he added.
He said five organisations took part in the second tender after the first tender was cancelled.
Two years” experience was sought in the second tender instead of three years in the first tender to ensure more competition, Matin added.
Among all participating companies Esak Brothers gave estimation of Tk 8.83 crore whereas the earlier expense was Tk 41.82 crore.
About the allegation of inexperience, he said, “The present company, Saif Power Tech also did not have any experience when they started. They did not have any heavy machinery. They worked with the machineries of the port.
“On the other hand, Esak Brothers has been running port-based non-government container depot for a long time.”
He also denied the allegation that the bid had been approved at the last minute. “I had the authority to sign the files of the ministry at the last minute.”
He did not comment on the slow speed in the investigation of the ten-truck arms case during the rule of 2007-2008 military-installed caretaker government and that government”s alleged influence in filing cases against and arresting political leaders at that time.

Courtesy of The News Today