They particularly mentioned the officials of Chittagong seaport, customs and NBR, as the officials demand bribe at every stage for moving files forward.

The demand was made when a delegation of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters' Association (BGMEA), led by its President SM Fazlul Haque, met Finance and Commerce Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam at his finance ministry office.

The BGMEA leaders also placed five-point demand, including soft bank loans as a contingency measure, to save their businesses that were hit hard during the last 7-8 months' political standoff.

After the meeting, the finance adviser told reporters that he would take some decisions to resolve the garment sector's problems after holding talks with other relevant departments, including finance and commerce, NBR, customs and Chittagong Port Authority.

"We'll meet them (BGMEA) again and inform them about the government's decisions within a week. The decisions will be made to protect the interests of all concerned," he told journalists.

The BGMEA leaders said the garment sector has been facing serious financial constraints due to the political stalemate that the country experienced in the last 7-8 months.

Many garment factory owners had to shut down their production units while many have failed to disburse salaries of their workers, they said.

"We need banking support to get out of the financial constraints, or else, it will be very difficult to survive," said BGMEA President Fazlul Haque.

Welcoming the present caretaker government and the state of emergency, he said the garment factory owners now feel very comfortable in doing their businesses.

"We don't want to see any political movement in the country in the name of democracy... we want a free and fair election with participation of all," the BGMEA president said.