A review committee formed by Bangladesh’s caretaker government on Sunday recommended hiring an investigative agency to look into energy deals signed by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime with different business groups, including one with the Adani.

“The National Review Committee of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has recommended the appointment of a reputable legal and investigative agency to review the major power generation agreements signed under the regime autocratic leadership of Sheikh Hasina from 2009 to 2024,” said an official statement. said.

The statement, issued by the office of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, said the committee is currently reviewing seven major energy and power projects, including the 1,234.4 MW Adani (Godda) BIFPCL coal-fired power plant, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Power Limited.

The other six deals include one with a Chinese company that built a 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant, while the others are with Bangladeshi business groups known to be close to the former regime.

According to the statement, the committee has gathered “enormous evidence” justifying that the agreements be “abandoned or reconsidered” in accordance with international arbitration laws and procedures. He said the committee needs more time to further analyze other solicited and unsolicited contracts.

“In doing so, we recommend the immediate appointment of one or more high-level international legal and investigative agencies to assist the committee,” the statement said citing a letter from the committee, headed by the retired High Court judge , Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury.

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said that cooperation in the power and energy sector has become one of the crucial pillars of India-Bangladesh relations.

However, the Adani Group recently sent a letter to the Bangladesh government over its $800 million unpaid electricity bill, while the state-run Bangladesh Energy Development Board said that he had already paid $150 million despite the dollar crisis and that he expected to pay the full amount.

Adani’s Godda thermal power plant was established exclusively to supply electricity to Bangladesh, but India recently amended a law allowing the Indian company to sell Godda electricity in the domestic market, sparking speculation on the issue whether Bangladesh would get a dedicated power supply from the plant.

The caretaker government had earlier formed a committee to review contracts entered into under the Rapid Improvement in Electricity and Energy Supply (Special Provisions) Act, 2010 (amended in 2021).

The committee was tasked with investigating any allegations of corruption linked to the country’s electricity and energy production and supply agencies.

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