FROM NEW YORK: A Canadian court issued arrest warrant against five people including former state minister of Bangladesh Abul Hasan over Padma Bridge graft scam.

The court asked them to appear before the court on September 19.

Other accused are- former officer of SNC-Lavalin Kevin Wales, Ramesh Shah, Mohammad Islmail and Canadian citizen Julfikar Ali Bhuiyan.

In the meantime, Kevin Wales got bail bond pledging to appear before the court daily.

On September 18, Canadian police submitted charge sheet against the accused.

On April 18, World Bank banned Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin with a record-setting sanction, barring the firm and 100 of its subsidiaries from bidding on any of the bank’s development projects for the next decade, after SNC admitted that it conspired to bribe several Bangladeshi public officials in an effort to secure a $50-million bridge contract.

The World Bank’s announcement about SNC also expanded the list of countries where the embattled engineering company has been accused of corruption.

The bank said it has uncovered evidence that SNC conspired to bribe public officials in Cambodia and that it has passed that information along to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who are already probing the company’s activities in Libya, Algeria and Bangladesh.

BDST: 1321 HRS, SEP 19, 2013
AKA/BSK