Financial anomalies involving Tk 11,710 crore have been detected in 16 Ministries between the fiscal years 2013-18 during audits by the Office of Comptroller and Auditor General. It raised 434 objections in 34 audit reports in the five fiscal years. The Ministries under question are Finance, LGRD, Housing and Public Works, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Youth and Sports, Industries, Civil Aviation and Tourism, Health and Family Welfare, Education, Religious Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Power and Energy, Fisheries and Livestock, Textiles and Jute, Water Resources, Road Transport and Bridges, and Railways.
Of the amount, audit objections against BASIC Bank alone involved Tk 3,885 crore. The types of irregularities found include releasing loans without verifying documents, granting credit without securing sufficient guarantee and flaws in supporting collateral in case of classified loans, providing loans to non-existent companies on the basis of documents, and extending loans against properties that had already been mortgaged with other banks.
The OCAG also raised 29 objections involving Tk 1,001 crore against the Large Taxpayer Unit’s (LTU) Dhaka office for 2014-15. The LTU is a unit of the National Board of Revenue. The anomalies range from breaching laws and policies, disregarding government instructions and public procurement rules 2008, weak internal control, irregularities, corruption, administrative and technical weakness, and laxity in realising government revenue and depositing them to the national coffer.
Corruption is government’s “development politics” and action against casino corruption goes against its own power base. Action being taken against casino corruption is worrying many others who protected them. Such development has shaken the corrupt ones in higher position and committed higher corruption.
