TIB decries proposal to gag media for reporting on banks

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Staff Reporter :
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has termed the proposal of the Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), the organisation of private banks, to stop disclosure of corruption and irregularities in the banking and financial sectors as unreasonable and unacceptable.
TIB has expressed strong condemnation and deep concern over the proposal.
It believes that accepting such a proposal will protect the people involved in corruption and irregularities in this sector and will lead to further corruption.
It has urged the government and Bangladesh Bank to reject this proposal as ‘backward’ and ‘recessive’.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said in a statement sent to the media on Monday that the proposal is not only the outward manifestation of ostrichism, but it is also an attempt to protect the security of these sectors by keeping irregularities, corruption and fraudulent information in the banking sector and creating opportunities for further development.
In any case, such anti-public opinion cannot be accepted. Although the banking sector is in reality dependent on the people’s money, the people have the right to know all the information including corruption, irregularities, as well as positive news of this sector.
The public has not given the bank the right to distort the irregularities and corruption by spreading information to the public, he said.
Iftekharuzzaman further said, the Bank Reporting Act must be required. But it is not about creating obstacles to the publication of corruption, irregularities, fraudulent information. Rather, such information can be published freely, to create a favorable environment for it. We are urging the government not to pursue the widespread crisis of the banking system due to the crisis in the vulnerable society.

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