He said the committee will be established to ensure a comprehensive examination of all complaints, irrespective of the report’s accuracy
TBS Report
03 October, 2024, 08:40 pm
Last modified: 03 October, 2024, 08:47 pm
A high-level committee will be formed to investigate the allegations of bribery against a senior secretary of the public administration ministry regarding the appointment of a deputy commissioner (DC), Chief Adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam said today (3 October).
“We are conducting an investigation into the matter,” he said during a press conference held at the Foreign Service Academy Auditorium in Dhaka this evening.
He further said, “We believe in press freedom. A high-level committee will be established to ensure a comprehensive examination of all complaints, irrespective of the report’s accuracy.”
Meanwhile, Social Welfare Sharmin S Murshid said three advisers – Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Asif Nazrul and Md Nahid Islam – have been assigned to conduct the inquiry.
Responding to reporters’ query regarding the government’s action on the bribery allegations, Sharmin Murshid said the government will also investigate the authenticity of the widely circulated clip on social media, reports UNB.
“The cabinet discussed the issues, and we are looking into the technical accuracy of the information shared,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Public Admin Secretary Mokhles ur Rahman claimed that screenshots of messages with Joint Secretary Zia Uddin regarding exchange of money during deputy commissioner appointment to be “fake”.
A controversy arose after the daily Kalbela published a report on 24 September, claiming that businessman Mirza Sabed Ali had offered a Tk3 crore cheque to a joint secretary in the Public Administration Ministry to secure the appointment of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director Md Abdul Awal as DC of Naogaon. The report also alleged that the cheque was recovered from the official’s office, though it had not been cashed as the posting was not granted.
Later today (3 October) the newspaper published another report indicting Public Admin Secretary Mokhles ur Rahman and Joint Secretary Zia Uddin of having a conversation where Mokhles ur Rahman asked for Tk5 crore for a DC appointment while Zia Uddin offered double that (Tk10 crore).
