corruption
Tk 562.69 crore Muhuri Irrigation Project fails to deliver, farmers left struggling
The much-sought Muhuri Irrigation Project in Feni, launched with a promise of transforming local agriculture, has failed to deliver its intended benefits due to alleged corruption, inefficiency and substandard implementation.
Implemented by the Water Development Board at a cost of Tk 562.69 crore with financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the project aimed to introduce an underground irrigation system powered by electric pumps and prepaid meters.
Despite its completion in June last year, the infrastructure has largely collapsed, leaving thousands of farmers without water and struggling to sustain their livelihoods.
Corruption and Mismanagement
Local farmers and officials claim that systemic corruption and poor project execution, rather than the floods cited by authorities, are to blame for the failure.
The project, spanning five upazilas in Feni and Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram, was divided into nine packages.
A German firm, Ludwig Pfeiffer Hoch-und Tiefbau GmbH & Co KG, secured two contracts worth Tk 157.18 crore.
Official records reveal that out of 850 planned underground pipeline schemes covering 534 kilometres, only 337 have been handed over, with just 268 operational—many of which are now severely damaged.
While the project initially aimed to irrigate 18,000 hectares of land, only around 3,000 hectares have received water so far.
Farmers Struggling Without Water
Farmers report that the irrigation system is virtually unusable, with stolen electric transmitters and prepaid meters exacerbating the crisis.
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“How can the scheme function without electric transmitters? They get stolen every few days,” lamented Afsar Uddin, a farmer from Kalidaha, Feni Sadar upazila.
Another farmer, Azgar Uddin from Sonagazi, said that the prepaid meter system, intended to lower costs, has instead increased their expenses.
"Previously, we used oil-powered pumps, which were costly but reliable. This system was meant to be cheaper, but it’s costing us even more," he said.
The Water Management Federation, which oversees irrigation projects, also raised concerns. Its General Secretary, Main Uddin Kamran, claimed that while official records mention over 8,000 pumps, many have never functioned.
He dismissed the flood damage explanation as an excuse, attributing the failure to corruption and mismanagement.
Financial Irregularities
The contractor reportedly withdrew Tk 134.60 crore before abandoning the project, with Tk 16 crore remaining in deposit. Even if the company settles its dues, the government is expected to recover just Tk 6 crore.
A field visit revealed that while some infrastructure is in place, most water supply schemes are ineffective.
Read more: ACC to investigate allegations of corruption in Third Terminal Project
At Alokdia village, underground pipes have burst due to poor-quality materials.
"Many pipes broke during installation because they lacked reinforcing rods or mesh in the cement,” said farmer Nur Nabi.
Even where the system functions, it remains inefficient.
Abdul Matin, a scheme manager, reported that despite inserting money into the prepaid meter, farmers were not receiving water.
"Farmers refuse to pay because they aren't getting water. If this continues, the entire scheme will collapse," he warned.
Official Defence and Farmers’ Skepticism
Abu Tayyab, Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer of Kalidaha, noted that farmers suffered major losses in the August floods.
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Although the government provided fertilisers, seeds, and incentives, the lack of irrigation has hindered cultivation, worsening financial losses.
Water Development Board officials insist that repeated floods, including one last August, have severely damaged the project.
"Some schemes were functional before the August floods, and farmers had started benefiting, but the disaster disrupted operations," said former Executive Engineer Mohammad Rashed Shahriar.
Farmers and experts remain unconvinced, arguing that the project’s structural flaws and mismanagement are the real culprits behind its failure.
5 days ago
Corruption obstacle to business investment, creation of new entrepreneurs: Workshop
Entrepreneurs representing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at a regional workshop here on Sunday said corruption is one of the biggest obstacles to business investment and the creation of new entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.
The negative impact of corruption severely affects SME entrepreneurs, they said, expressing their concerns at the workshop organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS).
Representatives from various levels of the SME sector in the Khulna division participated in the meeting.
At the beginning, Executive Director of CGS Zillur Rahman mentioned that Bangladesh faces challenges at the sub-national level as a developing country due to a lack of education and training, which hinders the SME sector from fully understanding and following necessary processes.
SME entrepreneurs highlighted the need for accessible guidelines on important processes such as applying for trade licenses, conducting online business activities, and obtaining letters of credit.
"To address these issues, CGS is developing a "Good Governance Toolkit" in consultation with experts, business leaders, and SME entrepreneurs," Zillur said.
Additionally, he said the CGS is organizing these workshops designed not only to provide knowledge but also to gather feedback from SME entrepreneurs.
The toolkit includes topics such as the code of conduct, transparency pact, instructional materials, and recommendations for national and regional forum representation.
Read: ACC to investigate allegations of corruption in Third Terminal Project
During the workshop, entrepreneurs of Khulna highlighted that unlike in other countries, entrepreneurs in our country do not follow the practice of preparing initial documentation and necessary paperwork before starting a business.
This habit needs to change, especially for online businesses.
To avoid corruption, it is essential to complete all processes related to trade licenses and taxes before starting a business, they said.
They also mentioned that due to the complexities and high renewal fees associated with obtaining and renewing trade licenses, there is a tendency to issue new trade licenses, which need urgent resolution.
Ensuring women's empowerment in obtaining bank loans is also crucial, said the participants.
They called for the inclusion of advance payment for showroom rent in the toolkit and the determination of specific fees for it.
The discussion also brought up the suggestion to launch training programmes through forums to enhance business skills.
The need to reduce the influence of syndicates in business was emphasized.
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Some entrepreneurs in online businesses are selling products at such low prices that it creates inconsistency for the same products being sold offline, the participants observed.
This competitive aspect has been proposed to be included in the toolkit.
2 weeks ago
Tulip Siddiq steps down as Treasury minister
Britain’s anti-corruption minister resigned on Tuesday amid a controversy over links to her aunt, ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Tulip Siddiq said that she was quitting as economic secretary to the Treasury, saying the issue was becoming “a distraction from the work of the government.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been under growing pressure to remove Siddiq from her post since she referred herself to the U.K. government’s ethics watchdog following reports that she lived in London properties linked to her aunt. Hasina was ousted last year after weeks of protests.
Starmer said he was sad to see Siddiq go, adding that the independent adviser on ministerial interests, Laurie Magnus, “has assured me he found no breach of the Ministerial Code and no evidence of financial improprieties on your part.”
Siddiq, who is responsible for tackling corruption in financial markets, was named last month in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh against Hasina. The investigation alleged that Siddiq’s family was involved in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh in which large sums of money were said to have been embezzled.
Read: Tulip Siddiq questioned in UK over graft allegation
3 weeks ago
Ex-Taiwanese Presidential candidate Ko Wen-je indicted for corruption
Prosecutors in Taiwan indicted former presidential candidate and Taiwan People's Party founder Ko Wen-je on corruption charges Thursday, accusing him of taking bribes during his time as mayor of the island's capital.
Ko, a former mayor of Taipei, is accused of accepting bribes related to a real estate development during his time in office, according to the prosecutors' statement. He's also accused of embezzling political donations.
If convicted on all charges, he faces a possible 28.5 years in jail.
Core to the case is a development owned by Core Pacific City group in Taipei. Prosecutors say Ko allowed the company to evade city building regulations in exchange for bribes.
“The defendant, Ko, violated his vow as a mayor to not accept bribes, and abide by our national laws. Instead, Ko intended to help the group obtain billions of dollars in illegal benefits, while collecting millions in bribes,” said Kao Yi-shu, the lead prosecutor, while unveiling the charges Thursday.
While Ko could not be reached, he has previously denied the allegations of bribery and corruption. His party said the charges were a case of political persecution.
Read: Taiwan asks China to cease military activities in nearby waters
"With this kind of abuse of power, the government is being reduced to a political thug,” said Lin Fu-nan, a member of the TPP’s central committee. “We call on the black hand of politics not to reach into the judiciary."
Ko, a former doctor, burst onto the political scene to win Taipei's 2014 mayoral race. He served two terms from 2014 to 2022.
Ko founded the TPP in 2019 as an alternative to the two-party system, promising a break from politics as usual.
He ran for President this year. Despite finishing third, he attracted attention for his appeal to young voters. Taiwan's politics is mostly dominated by two main political parties, the Nationalist Party (Kuomingtang) and the Democratic Progressive Party.
Read more: Taiwan President visits Hawaii Think Tank amid Chinese criticism
Ko's Taiwan People's Party, while small, is allied with the Kuomingtang in Taiwan's legislature and helped it pass three laws last week that critics say have paralyzed the Constitutional Court and will weaken Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's ability to carry out his political agenda.
1 month ago
ACC sues former ministers, their families over corruption
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed six separate cases on Thursday against former health minister Zahid Maleque, his son Rahat Maleque, former state minister for post, telecommunication, and information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak and his wife, and former state minister for textiles and jute Mirza Azam and his wife, on various allegations.
New ACC Commission imposes travel ban on 5 ex-MPs, families
The ACC filed the cases with the Dhaka Integrated District Office, ACC spokesperson Aktarul Islam told UNB.
Zahid faces accusations of amassing undeclared assets worth Tk 614,256,426, while his son Rahat Maleque is accused of acquiring assets worth Tk 114,984,161. Palak was charged with acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 87,347,042, and his wife Arifa Jasmine was accused of possessing assets worth Tk 95,893,433.
ACC to start probe against ‘big fish’ soon: New Commissioner
Mirza Azam was accused of acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 397,667,200, while his wife Dewan Aleya faces allegations of acquiring assets worth Tk 237,771,995.
1 month ago
TIB findings: Over 70 percent of households partake in corruption
The Transparency International (TIB) findings revealed in household surveys since 2010 show that from 2009 to April 2024, the included service sector institutions have collected an estimated total of Tk 146,252 crore in bribes.
The households that paid bribes or unauthorized money for services from May 2023 to April 2024 spent an average of Tk 5,680 each. The total estimated bribes or unauthorized payments across all sectors during this period amounted to Tk10,902 crore, which is 1.44 percent of the national budget for 2023-24 and 0.22 percent of GDP.
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The passport, BRTA, law enforcement, judiciary, and land sectors were found to be the most corrupt in the service sector, with 70.9 percent of Bangladeshi households reporting corruption between May 2023 and April 2024.
Furthermore, 50.8 percent of households experienced bribery at this time, with law enforcement, BRTA, and passport services having the highest percentages. TIB revealed these findings at a press conference unveiling the “Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey 2023” results.
The survey of 2023 revealed that 70.9 percent of households in Bangladesh has experienced corruption in some form while availing services from various public and private sectors or institutions. Passport services 86 percent were identified as the most corrupt sector, followed by BRTA 85.2 percent, law enforcement agencies 74.5 percent, judicial services 62.3 percent, land services 51 percent, public healthcare 49.1 percent, and local government institutions 44.2 percent. Overall, 50.8 percent of households reported paying bribes or being forced to pay unauthorized money to access services.
The highest incidences of bribery were reported in passport services 74.8 percent, BRTA 71.9 percent, law enforcement agencies 58.3 percent, judicial services 34.1 percent, land services 32.3 percent, and local government institutions 29.7 percent.
Among the households that paid bribes, 77.2 percent cited the reason as “services cannot be obtained without paying a bribe,” highlighting a concerning institutionalization of bribery practices.
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The survey collected data on corruption and harassment encountered by selected households while obtaining services from service sectors between May 2023 and April 2024. Data for this survey were collected between May 13 and August 3, 2024.
2 months ago
Corruption and nepotism must end for timely project completion: Adviser Asif Mahmud
Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, and Youth and Sports, has called for a swift and transparent implementation of development projects, urging officials to stop all forms of corruption and nepotism.
Speaking at a progress review meeting of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the financial year 2024-2025, he emphasized that the timely and efficient completion of projects is critical for maintaining the trust of development partners and fulfilling public expectations.
“We must ensure that all projects are implemented properly and without delay,” Asif Mahmud stated during the meeting, which was attended by senior officials from the ministry and key project directors.
He highlighted that lengthy project schedules have caused disillusionment among development partners, leading to a loss of enthusiasm for future collaborations.
The adviser underscored the importance of working in close coordination with development partners in case of unavoidable delays, while maintaining integrity and transparency throughout the project cycle.
“All forms of corruption and nepotism must be stopped in project implementation,” he insisted.
Out of the total 230 ongoing projects in 19 departments, 62 are funded by foreign development partners, while 168 projects are government-funded. The total budget allocation for these projects is Taka 3,580,888.
Asif Mahmud also noted that delays in appointing consultants have been a significant obstacle to the timely execution of projects, particularly in sectors like road construction and culvert works.
He emphasized the need for reforms to streamline the consultant appointment process, ensuring quicker decisions and minimizing delays.
The adviser further reminded ministry officials of their duty to reflect the hopes and aspirations of the people in their work. “The blood of those who sacrificed for the creation of today’s Bangladesh should not go in vain. A new hope has been instilled in the people, and we must work to fulfill those hopes,” he said, urging all ministry staff to take their responsibilities seriously.
The meeting was conducted by the Secretary of the Ministry, Md Nazrul Islam, and was attended by senior ministry officials, project directors, chief engineers, and executive engineers.
2 months ago
CA highlights importance of digitisation to fight corruption
In a meeting with the senior government officials, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday emphasised the importance of digitisation to fight corruption.
The meeting focused on immediate actions for fast-track digital adoption.
Key decisions taken in the meeting include making submission of tax via the e-return portal compulsory for all government officials in the greater Dhaka region and encouraging large corporations to adopt e-return across the organisation.
The decision to launch a nationwide awareness campaign on digitisation was also taken in the meeting, while renewed focus was given on improving the investment environment by digitising NBR, the National Single Window project.
Other decisions include ensuring interconnectivity of systems across government organisations by keeping an eye on the whole picture and full digitisation roadmap and execution timeline for land related public services, according to the Chief Adviser’s press wing.
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Md Siraj Uddin Mia, principal secretary to the Chief Adviser, Md Abdur Rahman Khan, chairman, NBR, ASM Saleh Ahmed, senior secretary, ministry of land, Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, executive chairman, BIDA, and BEZA, were among those who attended the meeting.
3 months ago
Corruption rate in roads and highways sector was 23-40% in 15 years: TIB
The corruption rate from the government's allocation for the roads and highways sector was between 23 to 40 percent during the period of fiscal year FY 2009-10 to FY 2022-23.
The government allocated Tk 169,449 crore for the Roads and Highways Department, of which 23-40 percent or equivalent to Tk 29,230 crore and Tk 50,835 crore was embezzled, said a report of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
The anti-graft watchdog published this report in the capital on Wednesday (October 9).
Executive Director of TIB Dr Iftekharuzzaman said a syndicate involving politicians, bureaucrats and contractors were involved in corruption while implementing projects for public interest.
These corruption was institutionalized from lower level to the highest level and around 40-43 percent of the money went missing in the bribery of Roads and Highways Department, he pointed out.
"Now if we cannot break the tripartite syndicate, no anti-corruption programme will succeed," he said.
Read: 'Cancellation of textbook review committee a risky compromise with radicals': TIB
In response to a query Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, “We sought information about various projects of the Roads and Highways Department, we were denied a lot of information. Our expectation is that information is disclosed publicly, but the reality is that some people have been removed from the organisation but the institutional practices have not been changed yet.”
Responding to another question, the Executive Director of TIB said, "Our research report is only about the projects under implementation with domestic financing. However, there were corruption in foreign-funded projects as well."
According to the researchers, the projects completed between the FY2017-18 to FY2021-22 were included in the scope of this study (the implementation period of these projects is from FY2010-11 to FY2018-19).
Read more: TIB urges reform of Information Commission, amendments to RTI Act
3 months ago
Photos of ex-NBR official Matiur with Bangladesh Bank governor go viral on social media
Photos of former National Board of Revenue (NBR) official Matiur Rahman, recently at the center of corruption allegations, with Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder have gone viral on social media, sparking widespread discussion.
One viral photo shows the two men in Ihram during the Hajj pilgrimage, while another captures Matiur greeting Rouf with a bouquet of flowers at the governor's office in the central bank.
Read more: Matiur removed from NBR post after goat purchase scandal
Matiur Rahman was appointed as a director of Sonali Bank on February 1, 2022. At that time, Abdur Rouf Talukder was serving as the finance secretary.
Some media outlets have questioned the Bangladesh Bank governor through the central bank’s spokesperson, Mezbaul Haque. The inquiry focused on the governor’s comments regarding Matiur's appointment as a director of Sonali Bank during his tenure as finance secretary and the allegations of anonymous stock market investments through Matiur.
Responding to the media, Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Mezbaul Haque conveyed the governor's statement, asserting that the allegations are not true.
Read more: Ex-NBR member Matiur removed from Sonali Bank board
7 months ago