Transparency International Bangladesh in a survey report revealed that syndicates of corrupt government employees and transport union leaders have been shoddily hampering the export and import businesses at the Mongla Sea Port and Burimari Land Port.
Businessmen and stakeholders are forced to pay bribes for the timely release of their goods from the ports, despite having valid documents.
The survey reports, conducted between July 2017 and September 2018, found that corruption takes place mainly in the offices of the customs and the port authorities.
Media reports said, despite the importer’s having the needed documents, the customs officer demanded bribe to get their goods released, otherwise they have been asked to conduct a physical test of all the imported commodities.
As testing of goods and machinery is a time consuming process, the importers finally agreed to pay bribe to the customs officer. Around 60 percent of the country’s imported automobiles were released through this sea port annually. Moreover clinkers, fertilisers and coal are also imported in bulk through there.
Mentionable, the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index routinely finds Bangladesh among the most corrupt countries in the world.
This anti-graft international body ranked Bangladesh 143rd place out was ranked of 180 countries in 2017. It also alleged that all public sectors conducted by the Government are the most corrupted sectors of the country.
In absence of quick digitisation (or making the export, import and customs paperless), it becomes almost impossible to stop the corruption in the country’s sea and land ports.
In absence of quick digitisation (or making the export, import and customs paperless), it becomes almost impossible to stop the corruption in the country’s sea and land ports.
Though the Anti-Corruption Commission was formed with a view to eliminating corruption in powerful quarters, the visible perception is that it clearly avoids powerful people.
This is because the very purpose of forming the ACC as a high powered body is not properly understood. The body is formed with so much power not for eliminating corruption down in the root level.
In fighting big corruption the ACC has completely failed. In the other countries such ACC goes after the ministers in power.
