Voicing grave concern over the Rajuk officials’ agitation against the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has stressed the need for effective steps to keep government officials away from corruption.
In a statement on Thursday, TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said after the arrest of two Rajuk officials on specific graft allegations, some Rajuk officials staged demonstrations against the ACC, which reveals they show thumb to anti-corruption stance of the government. The Rajuk officials should think that whether they have stood against corruption or not, he said, adding that the government should ensure that nobody can create any impediment to the activities of the national anti-graft agency.
On Monday night last, the ACC arrested superintendent engineer of Rajuk’s Uttara Apartment Project Saidur Rahman and executive engineer and project director of Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara and Uttara Lake Development Project Monwarul Islam for alleged misappropriating public money of about Tk 3.46 crore. Following their arrest, Rajuk officials staged agitation. Iftekharuzzaman said if there is any question about the independence and objectivity of the ACC, measures can be taken in this regard. “But, unexpected agitation to paralyse the Commission is not acceptable. In fact, such agitation is tantamount to contempt of court,” he added.
