DCC recruitment raises eyebrows
The Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) took less than a minute to complete the viva voce of each candidate as the entire process of appointing 49 employees from 199 jobseekers took only five hours.
The story did not end here as five of the 49 candidates selected for the position of revenue officer even joined office the same day after receiving appointment letters.
Besides, the employees selected for different posts were allegedly appointed on back dates, forcing DCC to pay them extra salaries.
This is a strange story of recruitment at DCC where the 49 officials were selected and appointed to the corporation in five hours on October 18, 2006.
A seven-member team of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) revealed this strange recruitment anomaly after a yearlong enquiry into institutional corruption at DCC.
Of the selected officials, 13 were appointed by a selection committee headed by DCC Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, while the rest were appointed by another committee on October 18, 2006.
The ACC investigators say in any normal situation, interview of 199 candidates should take at least 33 hours unless there were irregularities or corruption in the process.
ACC Assistant Director Harunur Rashid filed a case against 13 DCC officials including the mayor on charge of appointing officials through abuse of power and corruption.
"More than a minute was required just to enter and come out of the room where the interview took place," says a member of the ACC enquiry team preferring anonymity.
The commission filed the case on June 29 with Shahbagh police station.
According to the first information report (FIR), it was not possible to complete such a task in five hours unless the appointed officials were allowed to join on back dates violating rules.
As the appointed officials joined office on a false back date, DCC had to count two months' extra salary for 13 first-class and 36 third-class employees, the investigators say.
They add these officials actually joined their offices in January 2007.
"It was done through mutual collaboration to serve the interest of the involved DCC officials and their preferred people," says the FIR.
Documents show inconsistency regarding the appointment letters as well.
Though it was shown on papers that the selected officials received appointment letters on October 18, the DCC department concerned received copies of the appointment letters on December 26.
Many of the appointed told the enquiry committee they received the appointment letters by post and much later than the date shown on papers.
"Circumstantial evidence shows only corruption can make it possible," observes a member of the ACC enquiry committee.
Comments