Former prisons IG admits to ‘administrative failure’

Former Inspector General (IG) of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin has shouldered the responsibility for failing to check corruption of his subordinate officials during his tenure.

“I couldn’t identify their corruption. As chief of the organisation, I cannot avert my responsibility. It can be termed as my administrative failure,” said Iftekhar to journalists after being quizzed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday.

ACC Director Mohammad Yousuf interrogated Iftekhar, who served as IG Prisons between 2013 and 2018, over the corruption in Chattogram Central Jail during that period.

On October 26 last year, Government Railway Police personnel arrested Sohel Rana Biswas -- a jailer of Chattogram Central Jail -- and recovered Tk 44 lakh cash, documents of fixed deposit accounts worth Tk 2.5 crore, and cheques of Tk 1.3 crore in favour of him, and 12 bottles of Phensedyl. Sohel was going to Mymensingh by train from Chattogram.

Two cases were filed over the incident -- one for money laundering and the other for carrying drugs.

Wishing to remain unnamed, an ACC official said Iftekhar, the then IG Prisons, was aware of Sohel’s track record, but still appointed him as jailer at the important division.

ACC is collecting more information about irregularities, he added.

Partha Gopal Banik, the then DIG (prisons) of Chattogram, was transferred to Sylhet in the same post.

ACC on July 28 interrogated Partha at ACC’s Segunbagicha headquarters, and later led a drive at his Dhanmondi residence. They recovered about Tk 80 lakh from his house.

ACC filed a case saying Partha obtained the money through corruption, while carrying out duties as DIG (prisons) of Chattogram divison between 2016 and 2018. Partha is now behind bars.

An investigation launched by prison authorities found that a section of Chattogram prison officials were involved in the corruption. As per recommendations of the committee, several prison guards and senior officials were transferred.