It is shocking that financial anomalies involving around Tk 25,000 crore have been detected in different ministries, departments and other government organisations in the latest audit this year for the fiscal 2017 by the Office of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). This year’s amount is almost double the previous fiscal’s.
Sources concerned alleged that the anomalies ranged from breaching laws and policies, disregarding administrative instructions and Public Procurement Rules 2008, weak internal control, irregularities, corruption, managerial and technical weakness in realizing government revenue and depositing them to the national coffer.
According to a news report published in a national daily on Tuesday, anomalies in procurement by the banking sector alone stood at Tk 11,000 crore and Tk 13,500 crore by 24 ministries, departments and other organizations. Of the total, irregularities of Tk 4000 crore were found in power sector and Tk 3750 crore in road transportation.
As reported, the Office of the CAG has already sent the audit report to the Prime Minister. The CAG will also send the report soon to the President for placing it to the parliament. A former senior finance secretary said that the government should have taken the last year’s CAG’s audit anomalies report seriously and could have asked the concerned persons for their explanation. Those who have been found guilty should have been subjected to legal actions. On the other hand, TIB has expressed concern over the procurement irregularities, saying if actions were taken on the basis of last year’s audit report, such irregularities should have not been taken place this year.
In this context, it can be mentioned that forty-two eminent citizens on December 14 urged the President to constitute a supreme judicial body to probe allegations of different types of corruption against members of the Election Commission under the Chief Election Commissioner. However, the CEC rejected the allegations, saying complaint of spending Tk 2 crore on special speakers at training sessions ahead of the 11th national and other elections were made on false grounds.
Corrupt politicians, civil servants as well as other high officials are allegedly looting millions of taka in the name of purchase in different government offices and banks. This should be a very loud wake up call for the government which merely claims to be on the right path but does not perform. There should also be a realisation amongst the bureaucrats and politicians that they are only cheating with the nation by their acts of corruption.
