Honesty proves costly for him
Clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents, who have long been accustomed to paying “speed money” at Chittagong Custom House, had a hard time negotiating with former assistant commissioner (jetty examination) Abu Hanif Mohammad Abdul Ahad.
He assumed the responsibility on January 15. The very next day, C&F agents went on a rampage at his office, accusing the otherwise well-known honest official of “misbehaviour”.
Bizarre it may sound, pending a probe into the vandalism by a section of C&F agents and Ahad's alleged misbehaviour, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) transferred the officer to a training academy within a week of his new posting.
The NBR issued the transfer order on Monday, asking Ahad to join Customs, Excise and VAT Training Academy in Chittagong today as an assistant director.
Chittagong Custom House Commissioner AFM Abdullah Khan said the transfer order came from Dhaka. Although Ahad is an honest officer, there are complaints of misbehaviour against him, the commissioner added.
It still remains a mystery on what basis he has been transferred.
According to Abdullah, a probe into the January 16 incident was underway.
Khalid Md Abu Hossain, additional commissioner of Chittagong Custom House, was verbally asked by the commissioner to conduct the investigation. Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Hossain said he was yet to start the probe.
On the morning of January 16, some C&F agents verbally abused Ahad, confined him in his office for over three hours, broke his nameplate and hurled stones at the office after he refused to take “speed money”, said witnesses.
The agents were incensed when Ahad asked them to submit documents maintaining the serial for clearing their goods.
Ahad could not continue his work on that day and also failed to join work later.
Kazi Khairul Bashar Milton, president of Chittagong Customs C&F Staff Association, said C&F staff were dissatisfied with Ahad's “misbehavior”.
He rated Ahad as one of the very few honest officials who never takes bribe. “But speed money is exchanged here [custom house] in different phases starting from value assessment of products to delivery of consignments,” Milton told this correspondent.
“How would we work if any officer delayed clearing files in the name of physical examination of containers? Ahad wanted to physically check all the containers suspected to contain undeclared goods. The C&F staff were angry with him as they had to wait for hours for scrutiny of documents,” he said.
Ahad served different sections of Chittagong Custom House for about one-and-a-half years. The office has seen his zeal to go after tax dodgers and false declaration-makers. He gave them hard times on many occasions, fetching government coffers at least Tk 14 crore as fines.
Contacted, Ahad refused to make any comment on the issue.
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