The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has recommended incorporating the alleged irregularities and corruption in the power purchase agreement between Adani Power Limited and the Bangladesh government into its ongoing investigation into former principal secretary and former power and energy secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus.
The recommendation comes as the ACC is already investigating allegations that Kaikaus accumulated illegal wealth through corruption, irregularities and abuse of power.
ACC Deputy Director Md Aktarul Islam disclosed the development on Monday.
He said the commission had recommended linking the allegations against Dr Kaikaus with the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption in the power purchase agreement between Adani Power Limited and the Bangladesh government.
Kaikaus was secretary to the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry when the agreement with Adani was executed and later served as principal secretary to former ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The ACC had earlier launched a probe on April 30 last year into allegations that the Awami League government had allowed Adani to enjoy customs and tax exemptions while bypassing the National Board of Revenue (NBR), allegedly resulting in the evasion of around Tk 45 billion in duties and taxes.
As part of that investigation, the anti-graft agency sought documents from Kaikaus, the authorities under his leadership and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) in connection with the agreement.
The ACC investigation has gained significance following findings by the NBR's Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, which said it had found evidence of customs duty evasion involving nearly $400 million on electricity imported from Adani.
According to the NBR investigation, the authorities concerned bypassed the required procedures while granting exemptions from customs duties and taxes.
The investigation also found that no bill of entry was filed for the electricity imported into Bangladesh, despite the requirement to follow proper import procedures for the entry and transmission of the power.
The NBR team also found no evidence that the matter had been resolved through the required legal process.
Against this backdrop, an NBR committee recommended that the substantial amount of allegedly evaded duties and taxes be recovered from the BPDB.
An eight-member NBR investigation team had examined how customs-related provisions were handled under the controversial power purchase agreement with Adani, including whether there were procedural irregularities and whether there was any legal scope for exemption or withdrawal of customs duties.
The investigation report found that duties and taxes amounting to $397.37 million had allegedly remained unpaid against electricity imported from the Adani Group up to July of fiscal year 2024-25.
The NBR investigation further found that the BPDB had allowed customs and tax exemptions for electricity purchased from Adani under the 25-year agreement.
However, the report said approval from the NBR and other competent authorities had not been obtained before granting such exemptions.
Bangladesh began importing electricity from the first unit of Adani's power plant in Godda, Jharkhand, India, on March 9, 2023.
The NBR investigation subsequently found that customs duties and other applicable taxes had not been paid on the imported electricity since the start of the imports.
The ACC's decision to link Kaikaus's alleged illegal wealth investigation with the Adani power deal means the former senior government official's role in the agreement will now come under scrutiny alongside the broader allegations of corruption and abuse of power, ACC officials said.
