256 workers shifted files from a BTTB cabinet

In another example of gross corruption, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL), former BTTB, showed deployment of 256 labourers on papers only to transfer files in an almirah.
BTCL officials told The Daily Star all the labourers were 'deployed' to the head office in the capital to do the task, which a class-four employee could do in a couple of hours.
A section of the corrupt BTCL officials showed the fake deployment to misappropriate huge amount of money, according to confessions by four such officials before the Truth and Accountability Commission (Tac).
The Tac denies giving details of the matter, which is one of many graft incidents revealed by the four.
The commission has however issued notices to 17 top-level government officials including some BTCL staffs, who are likely to face Tac next week in this connection.
Earlier on October 20, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) published a similar graft incident by BTCL officials in Khulna where they had 'deployed' 122 labourers to install a pan in a toilet.
The ACC investigations reveal misappropriation of over TK 33 crore by showing fake deployments at BTCL Khulna offices.
The four BTCL officials facing Tac also confessed to budget forgery and drawing huge amount through fake vouchers regularly.
Police had earlier seized 35 sacks of fake vouchers from BTCL Dhaka offices through which a huge amount of money was drawn by the corrupt staffs.
"The system should be corrected. Every institution, be it government or semi-government, must be made more accountable," says Tac Chairman Justice Habibur Rahman Khan.
On deployment of 122 people for installing a single pan, he ironically said, "It made me think that BTCL was constructing another Taj Mahal in Khulna."
"This is outrageous. It must have been done in connivance with each other. It has to be confirmed whether the auditors were also involved or not. And it must be worked out why the government mechanism failed to check such graft," commented Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Chairman Prof Mozaffer Ahmad.
"How come deploying such a huge number of people for tasks like installing a toilet pan or transferring files goes unnoticed. It cannot happen so easily. There must be work orders and tenders describing the work. And what about the post audit?" he asked.
The Tac has examined report of an investigation conducted by the telecommunications ministry into BTCL budget forgery and found that over Tk 14 crore was misappropriated by the engineering department in 2005-06 and over Tk 11.66 crore by the revenue department in between 2001 and 2007.
The commission also found the investigation by the telecom ministry was "incomplete, insufficient, wrongly done and biased" as the committee included members, who themselves were punished for committing corruption by BTCL.
Besides, the investigation did not result in taking action against the accused as the probe body included BTCL staffs.
"We'll later reveal how deep corruption was rooted in this public department. We're still digging into it," said Tac member Maj Gen (retd) Manzur Rashid Chowdhury.
On fake budget, Manzur Rashid said in a fiscal year Tk 14,400 was made Tk 20.14 lakh by putting 20 on the left of the actual figure. The same group made another budget of Tk 1.13 lakh to Tk 21.13 lakh by adding 2.
"Though the investigators found evidence of these graft incidents, they did not proceed except mentioning names of some low-ranked BTCL employees," he added.
Meanwhile, an assistant superintendent of police (ASP), who was awarded the president medal, has confessed to amassing wealth illegally.
"How come such a corrupt official is awarded the presidential medal? Honour must be given based on honesty," the Tac chief said. He did not comment whether Tac would recommend stripping the police officer off the medal.
As many as 314 people including 253 government officials, 28 of their wives and 24 low-profile businessmen have so far applied to the commission for voluntary disclosures.
The Tac completed hearing 181 of them who admitted to having ill-gotten wealth worth only about Tk 21.53 crore.
Of the total amount, Tk 10.62 crore was deposited to the state exchequer as of yesterday, while the rest could not be deposited as ACC or NBR is still to release the frozen bank accounts of the graft-accused.
Of the applicants, 126 applied through ACC, 167 through NCC, three through the courts and 18 voluntarily.