Obaidul Quader, Sheikh Helal, Tarique Siddique behind graft in road projects

Although National Development Engineers (NDE) debuted in the road construction sector at the end of 2017, the company is a wonder among the road construction contractors.

Within just six years, they got contracts of Tk 85 billion separately and jointly, which is 10 per cent of the total works done in the last 12 years.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, seven roads and highways department (RHD) officials said NDE used to manipulate tenders through former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader to get the contracts.

The former minister had told the officials that Sheikh Hasina’s former military adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique was behind the company.

Analysing the projects taken up by the RHD from 2011-12 to 2023-24, it was found that only 15 companies like NDE got 90 per cent of the work in terms of expenditure. The previous government spent more than Tk 830 billion in 12 years. And those 15 contracting agencies got contracts worth around Tk 750 billion individually or jointly.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) professor Shamsul Haque said, “Illegal practices like manipulation to get contracts, withdrawing money for below standard works and charging additional bills showing extra work without doing them, were ‘open secrets’ during the rule of the Awami League. It was like an epidemic of corruption.”

There are some 1,100 contracting agencies registered with the RHD. So the question remains as to how only 15 of those companies got 90 per cent of the contracts.

The RHD engineers say these contractors largely were ‘blessed’ by the AL ministers and MPs. However, the contractors claimed they had to pay ‘commission’ despite having connections with the leaders and ministers. Their (RHD officials) illegal incomes will be evident if the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) investigates their assets.

The 15 contracting agencies, who secured 90 per cent contract of road projects are Hasan Techno Builders, Rana Builders, NDE, Mojahar Enterprise, Moinuddin (Banshi), Taher Brothers, Md Aminul Haque Private Ltd, Masud HighTech, Spectra Engineers, M/S Saleh Ahmed, M M Builders, Reliable Builders, Toma Construction, Mahfuz Khan Ltd and Abed Mansur Construction.

As the irregularities came to light, some 45 companies were blacklisted for six months to two years in the first nine months this year. Some 13 of the top contractors were among the blacklisted companies.

RHD sources said three groups would control road contracts during the past 15 and a half years of Awami League rule.

They are influential leaders and parliament members from the Awami League, relatives and close associates of former road minister Obaidul Quader, and certain engineers from RHD.

After Quader became minister in 2011, a network formed, including former Feni MP Nizam Uddin Hazari, Quader’s brother Abdul Quader Mirza, his wife Ishratunnessa Quader, and former Noakhali MP Ekramul Karim Chowdhury.

In 2021, Quader Mirza publicly criticized his brother, sister-in-law, and Ekram Chowdhury. Later it was known that they locked into a conflict over the distribution of contracts. However, disputes between the brothers later eased, and Quader Mirza, after securing contracts, kept silent.

Road transport and bridges ministry adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan told reporters that decisions on who would receive contracts were made beforehand, followed by the formal process of calling for tenders.

He also said that this practice would end and that legal and institutional reforms would be implemented to increase competition. He is also considering a comprehensive investigation into past irregularities and corruption.

The contractor that received the work with the highest amount of money over the past 12 years is Hasan Techno Builders, which secured contracts worth Tk 111.18 billion. Rana Builders got work worth Tk 109.11 billion.

The owner of Hasan Techno is Najmul Hasan and Rana Builders' owner is Md Alam. They are uncle and nephew . Najmul Hasan is a close associate of former MP AKM Bahauddin Bahar from Cumilla. Both the companies have been banned on allegations of fraud.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Najmul Hasan said they won all contracts at prices lower than the estimated costs and denied any connection to Bahar.

Mohammad Alam said he is carrying out contracts of HRD over four decades. He secured work due to competence. He has been banned due to mistakes of other contractor with whom he worked jointly.

Alam's nephew, Zulfiqar Hossain (Masud Rana), runs Masud High-Tech, which received contracts worth Tk 43.81 billion. This firm is eighth among those who received the contracts of the highest amount.

Zulfiqar has connections to Sheikh Hasina’s cousin Sheikh Jewel and the controversial former MP Shamim Osman from Narayanganj, according to RHD officials.

RHD sources said NDE, which worked on the roads and highways department only for six years, stood third in the list of highest recipients of contracts.

NDE was banned for six months on 6 July for submitting forged and fake documents. The firm moved to the High Court which stayed the ban.

A contract firm named Sagar Info Builders completed 39 projects in collaboration with NDE, also benefiting from Tarique Ahmed Siddique’s support.

When asked, NDE’s managing director Raihan Mustafiz, speaking to Prothom Alo, said, “We are businessmen; we don’t need Tarique Siddique. Khaleda Zia is also a relative.”

He mentioned that his firm has been established in 1982.

"We have carried out most of the work in the public works. Later we started work in the road sector. We have won contracts at lower prices than government estimates," Raihan Mustafiz added.

However, there are allegations that those attempting to secure road contracts are tipped off about government estimates in advance. Consequently, the bidding conditions are often tailored to favour certain contractors.

There are allegations that those, who would be given contracts, are informed beforehand of the government estimates. Accordingly, the contractors secure contracts. Conditions of the tenders are also set in accordance with the qualifications of the preferred contractors.

The fourth-highest recipient is Mojahar Enterprise, owned by Kazi Mojaharul Islam, a close associate of Sheikh Helal Uddin, a former MP from Bagerhat. Mojahar Enterprise has completed contracts worth Tk 65.31 billion, mainly in the Khulna region.

Fifth is Moinuddin Limited, with contracts totaling Tk 64.64 billion. Seventh is Mohammad Aminul Haque Limited with Tk 45.49 billion. Both contractors reportedly ‘managed’ RHD officials, and secured work. They also used political leaders whenever needed.

MS Saleh Ahmed, in tenth place, has completed contracts worth Tk 29.59 billion. The owner, Saleh Ahmed (Babul), is close to former MP Nizam Uddin Hazari. RHD officials said Nizam Hazari mainly would run the organisation.

Reliable Builders completed contracts worth Tk 23.44 billion, with owner Shafiqul Alam (Mithun) positioned as the twelfth-highest recipient. Shafiqul was reportedly close to Awami League leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim. RHD sources said using Sheikh Selim’s influence., Shafiqul secured contracts worth Tk 1.37 billion in Gopalganj last November and Tk 2.42 billion in Dhaka the previous October. In the Dhaka contract, his partner was his father Shamsul Alam's firm, Orient Trading and Builders.

Two RHD officials said a step was taken to blacklist Reliable in the beginning of this year after its forgery was detected. At the time, Sheikh Selim made phone calls several times to prevent this.

There are allegations that models were engaged for lobbying for securing contracts. A BMW was seized from a model in 2021. Its registration was with Reliable Builders' name.

The thirteenth highest, Toma Construction, has garnered attention for securing numerous government contracts in various sectors, including railways, local government and public works. The owner, Ataur Rahman Bhuiyan, was a vice president of the Noakhali district Awami League and contested as an independent candidate in the last elections on 7 January but lost.

There are discussions that Awami League central organising secretary Mirza Azam has connection with Toma Construction. However, Ataur Rahman has denied this. Toma secured contracts worth Tk 23.09 bilion in 12 years.

Sources at the RHD said that Ataur Rahman had good relations with transport minister Obaidul Quader, former MP of Noakhali Ekramul Karim Chowdhury and Mirza Azam. As a result, Toma secured several projects after Quader became minister.

After a falling out with Ekram Chowdhury at the end of 2020, Quader initially instructed officials not to award work to Ataur Rahman, labeling him as aligned with his rival. However, tensions eased within a year, and Toma began to secure projects again.

Mahfuz Khan Limited, in the fourteenth position, has completed contracts worth Tk 22.81 billion. Mahfuz Khan is a relative of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Abed Mansur Construction, in fifteenth place, has received contracts worth Tk 19.14 billion. The owner, Abed Mansur, previously worked in advertising and television production, establishing connections with Obaidul Quader. Since 2018, he has been involved in RHD contracts, and secured contracts by submitting fraudulent experience certificates.

While not among the highest, a contractor named J Enterprise has gained attention for securing ten projects worth nearly Tk 1.97 billion, allegedly backed by Jahangir Alam, a controversial figure related to Sheikh Hasina.

Following the fall of the Awami League government amid student-people's uprising on 5 August, influential leaders including Obaidul Quader, Quader Mirza, Nizam Hazari, Ekram Chowdhury, and others went into hiding. Attempts to contact Quader’s wife, Ishratunnessa Kader, were not successful.

Meanwhile, some top contractors have claimed to be deprived. On 18 August, a group of contractors presented a 10-point demand to the chief engineer of RHD, with nine signatories among the highest earners, including Hasan Techno Builders, NDE, Reliable Builders, Masud High-Tech, and MS Saleh Ahmed.

Following the allegations, the supervisory engineer Abul Kalam Azad responsible for blacklisting contractors was transferred to a less significant position after contractors demanded this in their list of grievances.

In 2018, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted a report with a number of recommendations to the ministry of road transport and the cabinet division outlining the sources and causes of corruption in road projects.

The cabinet division instructed the roads and highways department to implement these recommendations, but the road transport and bridges ministry ignored them.

Over the past decade, the roads and highways department (RHD) has called for more than 40,000 tenders. Among these, over 36,000 tenders were valued between Tk 100,000 and Tk 10 million, amounting to a total expenditure of nearly Tk 64 billion. Sources said that in many cases, these small projects are mainly undertaken merely for embezzlement.

Approximately 4,000 remaining tenders were valued at between Tk 10 million and Tk 5 billion or more.

While talking to three contractors, it is learnt that 10 to 15 per cent of the project cost is typically spent on commissions for politicians and engineers. Additionally, funds are also allocated for bribes and extortion at the grassroots level.

Samshul Haque said that the officials involved from the RHD should face severe penalties for accepting bribes, providing illegal assistance in obtaining contracts, and facilitating fraud.

He emphasized the urgent need for an independent and impartial investigation into these matters.