Probe finds Tk 610cr corruption
Staff Correspondent
The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday gave the go-ahead for four cases to be filed against the incumbent managing director of state-owned BTCL and 21 others in connection with stealing Tk 610 crore by erasing international incoming call records.
ACC Commissioner Mohammad Shahabuddin told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon that the cases could be filed this week.
The would-be accused include Managing Director Mohammad Kalimullah of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd, former MDs Mohammad Afsarul Alam, Khabiruzzaman and Abu Sayeed Khan, BTCL general managers Anwar-ul Mamun, Ronel Chakma, Badiul Alam, Habibur Rahman Pramanik and ex-member Mohammad Tawfiq, among other BTCL staff.
Asif Zahid, Country Manager of Ericsson Bangladesh, which provided software to BTCL, its Relations Manager Nazrul Islam and Engineer Mashrurul Hakim are also among the people to be accused, said a high official of the ACC involved in the investigation.
The ACC investigation found that the BTCL officials were in league with the Ericsson officials in erasing incoming international call records between June 2009 and December 2012, at Mohakhali exchange in the capital, said the investigator.
Earlier, the ACC also found that the BTCL’s international calls had drastically dropped to around 2.50 crore minutes a day from over 5.50 crore minutes a day in early 2009 as the calls were bypassing proper channels.
An ACC investigator said around 70 percent of international call records had been erased from the call details recorder at the BTCL offices in Moghbazar and Mohakhali since 2009.
Some records were without trace, which helped carriers to gobble up the money they owed BTCL.
BTCL officials were in league with the Ericsson officials in erasing incoming international call records between June 2009 and December 2012, at Mohakhali exchange in the capital, said the investigator.
Earlier, the ACC also found that the BTCL’s international calls had drastically dropped to around 2.50 crore minutes a day from over 5.50 crore minutes a day in early 2009 as the calls were bypassing proper channels.
An ACC investigator said around 70 percent of international call records had been erased from the call details recorder at the BTCL offices in Moghbazar and Mohakhali since 2009.
Some records were without trace, which helped carriers to gobble up the money they owed BTCL.
Source: The Daily Star
