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The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has found evidence that several residential buildings are being constructed for senior government officials on land originally acquired to rehabilitate people displaced by the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the ACC said its enforcement team uncovered the irregularities during a raid on the Bangladesh Bridge Authority’s Setu Bhaban office in Banani.
The project, titled Support to Dhaka Elevated Expressway PPP Project, involved the acquisition of 16.19 hectares of land to build a “rehabilitation village” for those affected by the expressway development, according to bdnews24.com.
The plan included 12 buildings with a total of 1,344 flats for displaced residents.
However, the ACC said its investigation revealed that 0.47 hectares of the land had been set aside for senior civil servants, including at least one government secretary, even though they were not among the project’s affected population.
On this land, four buildings—named Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, and Karnaphuli—are under construction, comprising 280 flats for government officers.
The ACC said its team recovered documents detailing how and under what policy these buildings were being developed on land designated for resettlement.
Initial conversations with officials suggested possible unethical practices in the allocation process.
A full report will be submitted to the commission after the ACC team completes its review of the seized documents.