Govt forms advisory council committee to probe bribery allegations over DC appointment
The committee has been asked to submit its report within 10 working days
The interim government has formed a three-member advisory council committee to investigate the allegations of bribery regarding the appointment of district commissioners (DCs) that recently surfaced in the media.
The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification regarding the formation of the committee on Wednesday (9 October).
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul has been made the convenor of the committee while Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Information and Broadcasting Adviser Nahid Islam are the members.
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The notification states that the committee will have the authority to co-opt additional members if necessary.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within 10 working days.
The district and field administration sub-divisional committee of the Cabinet Division will provide secretarial support to the advisory council committee.
On 24 September, another committee was formed to investigate the authenticity of the bribery allegations.
A controversy arose after the daily Kalbela reported on 24 September 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.
On 3 October, the newspaper published another report on a WhatsApp chat in which Mokhlesur Rahman, senior secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, requested Tk5 crore for a DC appointment while a joint secretary offered double that amount, Tk10 crore.
