Evidence brief

Three landmark corruption cases in Bangladesh: what the record shows

The Padma Bridge loan case, the Zia Orphanage Trust case and the US designation of ex-army chief Aziz Ahmed: documented facts, outcomes and current status.

Published 18 October 2026, Records

This briefing looks at three of the most widely reported corruption matters in Bangladesh. We picked them to cover different political camps and the security sector. One involves a major infrastructure project under an Awami League government. One involves a former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) prime minister. One involves a former army chief. Each is set out in the same way: what was alleged, what the record shows, where things stand now, and why it matters.

We use six status labels. Allegation means a claim has been made. Investigation open means an official body is looking into it. Charges filed means a case has been formally lodged. Court finding means a court has ruled on the facts. Appeal pending means that ruling is under challenge. Acquitted or closed means a court has acquitted, or the case has been formally ended. See our glossary and standards for more.

Padma Multipurpose Bridge loan corruption allegations (2011–present)

The Padma Bridge is Bangladesh's largest infrastructure project. In 2012 the World Bank cancelled a US$1.2 billion credit for it, saying it had evidence of a corruption conspiracy linked to the contract to supervise construction. Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) opened a case, then closed it in 2014. A related criminal trial in Canada ended in acquittals in 2017. In 2025 the ACC reopened its investigation. The case matters because it shaped how Bangladesh financed its biggest project, and because official bodies have reached different conclusions about it.

What the record shows

• The World Bank says it gave the government "evidence of corruption" in September 2011 and April 2012. It asked the government to suspend suspected officials, set up a special ACC prosecution team, give an outside panel of experts access to the investigation, and accept stronger procurement oversight.
• On 29 June 2012 the World Bank cancelled its US$1.2 billion credit from the International Development Association (IDA), its lending arm for poorer countries. It said the government had not met its conditions.
• On 17 December 2012 an ACC deputy director filed a case at Banani police station against seven people. They included Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, then secretary of the Bridges Division, and people linked to the Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin. The case alleged a conspiracy to rig the award of the supervision consultancy. Former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain was not named as an accused.
• On 17 April 2013 the World Bank debarred (barred from Bank-funded contracts) SNC-Lavalin Inc. and more than 100 affiliates for ten years. This was under a negotiated settlement. The Bank cited a "conspiracy to pay bribes" on the Padma project and misconduct on a separate project in Cambodia. This was a World Bank administrative sanction, not a criminal conviction.
• In September 2014 the ACC submitted a final report saying it had found no evidence of corruption. On 26 October 2014 a Dhaka special judge's court accepted the report and released all seven accused from the case.
• In Canada, former SNC-Lavalin executives Kevin Wallace and Ramesh Shah, and businessman Zulfiquar Ali Bhuiyan, were tried for bribery-related offences. In January 2017 Justice Ian Nordheimer of the Ontario Superior Court excluded the police wiretap evidence. He said the information used to obtain the wiretaps was "nothing more than speculation, gossip and rumour". On 10 February 2017 the prosecution called no further evidence and all three were acquitted. All three had pleaded not guilty.
• The bridge was built with Bangladesh's own funds and opened on 25 June 2022.

Status today

Acquitted or closed: the three accused in the Ontario trial were acquitted in February 2017. In Bangladesh, the court accepted the ACC's closure report in October 2014 and released the original seven accused.

Investigation open: on 31 December 2024 the ACC announced it would investigate the case further. In July 2025 its chairman said the 2014 closure report had been "flawed and incomplete", and cited preliminary evidence of procurement irregularities. As of the last public update we could verify, a reinvestigation was under way. We found no report of fresh charges or a court ruling. Everyone connected to the case is presumed innocent.

Why it matters

The case shows how a lender, a national anti-graft body and a foreign court can reach different results on the same facts. The Canadian acquittal turned on the exclusion of evidence. It was not a ruling on whether a bribery plan existed. Equally, the World Bank's findings were administrative and were never tested in a Bangladeshi trial. For readers, the lesson is to check which body said what, and under what standard of proof.

Zia Orphanage Trust case (2018–2025)

The ACC alleged that money given to a charitable trust for orphans was misappropriated. Former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and several co-accused were tried. A trial court convicted them in 2018, and the conviction sent Khaleda Zia to prison. In January 2025 the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court acquitted all of them. The case matters because it involved a former head of government, and because the top court called it a malicious prosecution.

What the record shows

• The case concerned over Tk 2.1 crore (about Tk 21 million) in grants for orphans that had arrived through a foreign bank.
• On 8 February 2018 Special Judge's Court-5 in Dhaka sentenced Khaleda Zia to five years' imprisonment. It sentenced Tarique Rahman and the co-accused, including Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and Sharfuddin Ahmed, to ten years each, and imposed fines. Khaleda Zia's lawyers said the case was politically motivated.
• On 30 October 2018 the High Court Division increased Khaleda Zia's sentence to ten years.
• The Appellate Division granted leave to appeal in November 2024.
• On 15 January 2025 a five-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed allowed the appeals and acquitted Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman and the other convicted people, including those who had not appealed. According to the ACC's lawyer, the court described the case as a "malicious prosecution".
• Khaleda Zia died on 30 December 2025, aged 80.

Status today

Acquitted or closed: the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, the highest court in Bangladesh, acquitted all the accused on 15 January 2025. The 2018 convictions no longer stand. We found no report of any further challenge. In a separate matter, the Zia Charitable Trust case, the Appellate Division upheld Khaleda Zia's acquittal in March 2025.

Why it matters

A former prime minister spent time in prison because of convictions that the highest court later set aside. The case is a reminder that a lower-court conviction is not the last word, and that political context affects how prosecutions are seen. It is why we report appeals and acquittals as prominently as convictions.

US designation of former army chief General Aziz Ahmed (2024–present)

On 20 May 2024 the US State Department publicly designated General (retd) Aziz Ahmed, Bangladesh's army chief from 2018 to 2021, for "significant corruption". He denied the allegations. Since September 2024 the ACC has been investigating his assets. The case matters because it is a rare public step by a foreign government against a former head of Bangladesh's armed forces.

What the record shows

• The designation was made under Section 7031(c) of the annual US State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. Under it, he and his immediate family are generally ineligible to enter the United States.
• The State Department said he had interfered in official processes to help his brother avoid accountability for criminal activity in Bangladesh. It said he had worked with his brother to make sure military contracts were improperly awarded, and had accepted bribes in exchange for government appointments.
• On 21 May 2024 Aziz Ahmed told reporters the allegations were "completely false" and "lies". He said the restrictions were "of no use". He challenged anyone to prove that his relatives received army or Border Guard Bangladesh contracts while he was in command.
• The ACC took up a complaint against him in September 2024. On 17 October 2024 a Dhaka court granted an ACC request to bar him and his wife from leaving the country. The ACC is examining claims of undisclosed wealth and money moved abroad to buy property and fund businesses in Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai.
• In September 2026 the ACC appointed an investigating officer to check wealth statements submitted by him and his wife.

Status today

Investigation open: the ACC's inquiry was continuing as of September 2026. We found no report of charges filed against him in Bangladesh. The US measure is a foreign government designation. It is an Allegation in our terms, not a Court finding, and no court has tested it. He denies wrongdoing and is presumed innocent.

Why it matters

Military leaders are rarely examined in public in South Asia. This case shows that scrutiny can come from outside the country first, and then lead to a domestic inquiry. It also shows the limits of a designation. It restricts travel and signals concern, but it does not test evidence the way a court does. We hold military and civilian office-holders to the same standard.

Bangladesh in the Panama, Paradise and Pandora Papers

The Panama Papers (2016) and Paradise Papers (2017) were leaks of offshore company records published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and partners. Some Bangladeshi individuals and companies appeared in them. Owning an offshore company is not in itself illegal.

• In High Court Division proceedings on money laundering, the ACC submitted a list of 43 individuals and organisations in December 2021. The court later received a list of 69 names: 43 from the Panama Papers and 26 from the Paradise Papers.
• On 25 September 2023 the ACC told the High Court that the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had begun probing money laundering claims against those named. Six CID teams were said to be working on it.
• We could not verify any resulting charges, convictions or asset recoveries. We also found no verified official follow-up in Bangladesh to the Pandora Papers (2021). We therefore do not name anyone here.

To trace companies yourself, see our guide to checking company ownership in South Asia and our money trail page.

How to read cases like these

• Check which body made the claim: a lender, a foreign government, an anti-graft agency or a court.
• Look for the latest step. Many cases are closed, reopened or overturned on appeal.
• Read the judgment where it is published, not just the headline.
• Note who has denied the claims, and what they said.

If you hold documents about corruption in Bangladesh, read our source safety guide first. Do not use a work device or work network to contact journalists. Our guide to reporting corruption in Bangladesh explains official channels, and our secure tip form is available if you want to contact us. Anyone named here can use our right of response process. Errors are handled through our corrections policy.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2012/07/17/frequently-asked-questions-related-t
• worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2012/09/20/world-bank-statement-padma-bridge-se
• worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/04/17/world-bank-debars-snc-lavalin-inc-an
• bdnews24.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-court-acquits-all-of-corruption-charges-over-pa
• cbc.ca/lite/story/1.3977655
• dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/corruption/14175/court-throws-out-padma-bridge-case
• dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/corruption/369593/acc-reopens-investigation-into-padma-bri
• en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/gvl143607r
• bangla.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news-683401
• dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/289927/wb-padma-bridge-to-bring-benefits-to-bangladesh
• en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/e638ray177
• jurist.org/news/2025/01/bangladesh-supreme-court-acquits-former-prime-minister-k
• en.ittefaq.com.bd/10949/sc-upholds-hc-order-acquitting-khaleda
• opb.org/article/2025/12/29/khaleda-zia-former-bangladeshi-prime-minister-and-
• tbsnews.net/node/856266
• dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/foreign-affairs/347208/gen-aziz-us-sanctions-are-of-no-use
• jagonews24.com/en/national/news/77616
• thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/acc-appoints-investigator-to-verify-assets-of-ex-army-chief-
• bdnews24.com/bangladesh/5cd4143aa215
• tbsnews.net/node/706754