3 BR officials suspended over graft

Railways Ministry has suspended three railways officials -- two mid-level and one junior -- for their direct involvement in irregularities and corruption while purchasing materials for the Bangladesh Railway (BR).

The ministry took the decision following the recommendations of a probe committee, formed in September last year, after a newspaper report on rampant corruption in purchase in the BR's west zone during 2018-19 fiscal year.

The three officials are AMM Shahnewaz, an officer on special duty (OSD), Belal Hossain Sarker, controller of stores of the east zone and Zahid Kawsar, assistant controller of stores of the west zone.

All three officers worked under the BR's west zone when the irregularities took place.

Their suspension order was signed by Railways Ministry's Secretary Salim Reza on December 29 last year, but the orders were released yesterday, sources at the railway's ministry said.

Apart from suspension, they would face both criminal charges and departmental action, as per the directives of the Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, they said.

The ministry would write to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for legal action against the three, they said. Besides, it would issue show cause notice to ask whey further departmental action would not be taken against them, they added.

The railways ministry on September 20 last year formed a three-member probe committee, led by its Additional Secretary Bhuban Chandra Biswas, after a Bangla daily published a report over the matter.

According to the report, some officials of the BR's west zone bought some materials on inflated prices. For example, they bought each key, plastic bucket, dustbin, curtain at the cost of Tk 5,550, Tk 1,890, Tk 18,000, and Tk 8,995 respectively.

Yet, those products could be bought at the cost of Tk 150, Tk 300, Tk 1,200 and Tk 780 respectively, according to the report.

Through such purchases, the official misappropriated Tk 16.40 crore in the 2018-19 fiscal year, the daily reported citing a report of Transport Audit Directorate.

The probe committee submitted its report last month holding 4 persons, including these three officials, directly responsible for the irregularities.

Another accused is Al Amin Talukder, upper division assistant of west zone. As he is a lower-level staffer, the ministry yesterday asked the director general of BR to suspend and take further action against him, sources said.

Speaking to The Daily Star recently, a member of the probe committee said they have recommended for "severe punishment" for Shahnewaz, the chief commercial manager, Belal, the controller of stores, Kawsar, the assistant controller of stores, and Al Amin.

"Severe punishment" includes termination from the job and demotion from their posts, he said.

They also recommended for departmental action against 13 more officials of the BR's West Zone as they were also liable for the irregularities to some extent, he said.

Railways Ministry sources said they would take departmental action against the 13 officials after "scrutinising their offences" and the punishment may include demotions and warnings. They, however, would not face criminal charges, they said. 

A BR official said Yusuf Ali Mridha, the then general manager of BR's east zone, was suspended after he was caught with the then railways minister's assistant in a car near the BGB headquarters with a huge amount of cash, allegedly collected from job seekers as bribe, in April, 2012.

Two other officials were also suspended following the much-talked about incident, he said wishing not be named.

"As fas as I can remember, no BR official was suspended over corruption allegations after the 2012 incident," he added.