Two-day CA confce begins today

A two-day national conference of chartered accountants begins today in Dhaka to take a pledge for improving professional skills in minimising financial frauds in Bangladesh, organisers said.

The conference will also demand legal reforms in the profession to punish black sheep firms to stop corruption.

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia is expected to inaugurate the conference at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre at 11 am. State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources AKM Mosharraf Hossain will be the special guest.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) has organised the conference with the theme titled "Financial Sector Reform" marking the 30th founding anniversary of the 750-member professional body.

Three technical sessions on Banking Sector Reform, Tax Administration Reform and Foreign Direct Investment in Bangladesh will be held at CA Bhaban in Kawran Bazar on the second and concluding day of the conference.

"Our commitment is to take measure so that irregularities in professional activities can be stopped," former ICAB president Jamal Uddin Ahmed said at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka yesterday.

He said some 400 local professionals have so far registered their names to participate in the conference while some foreign professionals would also join.

Professional accountants, academics, economists, columinsts, diplomats, senior bankers and high government officials from home and abroad are expected to participate in the conference.

He said ICAB's achievements in last 30 years would be projected in the two-day conference with a future outlook of the professional development.

ICAB president AK Golam Kibria made a presentation on 30 years of achievement of the professional body established in 1972 with around 80 members. ICAB former presidents Joynal Abedin and Mohammad Yunus were present at the press conference.