Staff Reporter :Country’s passport sector ranked the first position as the most corrupt organisation while the law-enforcers stood second, said a Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) study on Wednesday.Revealing widespread corruption and irregularities in the passport sector, the study shows that unwarranted delay and harassment in passports delivery are continuing in the country’s all most all passport offices in a bid to take bribe from the common people, said TIB in its seventh report on ‘Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey 2015’ published at a press briefing at its Dhanmondi office in the city.TIB Trustee Board Chairperson Sultana Kamal, Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman and Deputy Executive Director Dr Sumaiya Khayer addressed the programme.Total bribery in the service sectors in 2015 amounted to Tk 8,821 crore, the report said. Sultana Kamal, Chairperson of the Board of TIB, termed the corruption as an attack on morality, saying bribery has now become a part of life.”Our main concern is that every body is getting involved in the corruption,” she said, adding the officials and employees know nothing without bribe in providing service to the people.”As a result, the common people are becoming the worst victims,” she said. Executive Director of TIB Dr Iftekharuzzaman said it is very difficult to get service without bribe from the service sectors. “The common people are the worst victims of this corruption. This is concerning,” he said.About the corruption in the law enforcement department, he said, they are responsible for curbing corruption. “If the law enforcers are themselves involved in the corruption, it is a very concern to all of us.” Law-enforcers sector ranked second position in the services sector corruption tally. Second in the list came the corruption at law enforcement agencies, 74.6 percent, followed by graft at the education sector, 60.8 percent, the TIB report said.Other corrupt sectors include, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, land administration, Judiciary, power and the health sector.According to the report, 68 per cent householders were victims of different types of corruption in 2015 while 58 per cent households directly bribed government officials in getting services in the sectors.The survey was conducted over 15,206 households, who became the victims of corruptions in getting services in 16 public sectors between November 2014 and October 2015 in 64 districts.The 16 service sectors include education, health, local government, land administration, agricultural department, law enforcers, judiciary, power sector, banking, tax and revenue, NGO, passport delivery and verification, gas distribution, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, insurance and others include Water and Sewerage Authority, and Bangladesh Telecommunication and Posts.
