Govt officials forced to pay bribe for salaries: ACC
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has identified how government officials are being harassed and forced to pay bribe at accounts offices.
Identifying 33 probable source of corruption and providing 21 recommendations, ACC Commissioner Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan yesterday handed over a report to Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal at the latter's office.
Accounts offices at divisional, district and upazila levels are responsible for payment of salaries, pension and other financial benefits to government employees. They are operated by the Office of the Controller General of Accounts, under the finance ministry.
Government officials face difficulties to get salaries after being transferred, as accounts offices delay in transferring Last Pay Certificate (LPC). On the other hand, accounts offices also make inadvertent delays in issuing Expected Last Pay Certificate to the retired officials, the ACC report said.
Government officers and staff have to make underhand payments to accounts officers to get their arrear bills. Not only that, they also have to pay bribe to open general provident fund and collect money after its maturity.
Teachers of government primary schools have to give bribe to get money from gratuity, reads the report.
It also said that newly-appointed government officers have to pay bribe at accounts offices to get their first salary.
ACC suggested the Office of the Controller General of Accounts to strengthen its monitoring system and IT sector, automate billing service, create websites for each accounts office and increase manpower to prevent corruption.
ACC suggested setting 5-7 working days for the disposal of pension cases, and introducing electronic fund transfer system for pensioners.
The finance minister told reporters that the government has already expressed its zero tolerance policy against corruption.
He called upon government officers and staff not to get involved in corruption.
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