BPC concern's anomalies: HC orders BPC, CAG to submit reports by Jan 5

The High Court today directed the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and comptroller and auditor general (CAG) to submit separate reports by January 5 next year on actions taken against BPC's subsidiary, Standard Asiatic Oil Company (SAOC), regarding irregularities involving over Tk 472 crore.

The HC ordered BPC to submit a conclusive report before the HC after its lawyers, Mohammad Mezbah Uddin and Md Abdus Samad Azad, today placed a report before the court saying that BPC formed a four-member committee on February 10, 2019 to enquire into financial anomalies in the SAOC.

The committee found Moinuddin Ahmed, one of SAOC's five directors and the president of its management advisory committee, involved in anomalies of Tk 80 crore and submitted its report to the ministry of energy and mineral resources on August 25, 2019.

The ministry then wrote to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to take necessary action against Moinuddin Ahmed, the BPC's lawyers told the HC.

Today,the HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat Lizu ordered the BPC to provide all relevant documents to the ACC so that the commission can take action against the people involved in the irregularities.

The HC issued today's order following a suo motu (voluntary) rule issued by it on November 6, this year, based on a report published in The Daily Star on November 4 titled "A BPC concern robs state coffers of Tk 472.7cr".

During today's hearing, ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan submitted a compliance report to the HC bench saying the commission has filed a case against Moinuddin Ahmed as he was found to be involved in the irregularities.

Besides, filing another corruption case against him is under process, the ACC lawyer told the bench.