A staggering amount of corruption has been debunked in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, where nearly half of the 22 projects, worth a total of Tk 25,000 crore, have been looted.
Soon the probe committee will submit their report.
The probe committee was astonished upon finding evidence of embezzlement across almost every project. Under the leadership of the former state minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak, these funds were embezzled, with extravagant procurement costs and questionable spending.
The probe committee noted that each project showed signs of fraud, where excessive prices were paid for purchases and vast sums were misused. The committee is now in the process of determining exactly how many crores were siphoned off, and is set to release a final report soon.
During their investigation, they found that tracing the missing money has been a challenge, as Palak was directly involved with the approval of funds for each of these projects. Not a single project could release funds without his direct approval.
Project Directors (PD) regularly attended the former state minister's office. There he often held closed-door meetings. Any decision made during the meetings was not allowed to be published outside.
The corruptions were highlighted after a change in the government on August 5, which triggered the unmasking of massive irregularities in the handling of these ICT projects. The interim government formed a high-level investigation committee of seven members, led by an additional secretary, which also includes audit and legal experts, to look into the irregularities and corruption in the telecommunications and ICT sectors.
According to sources, the current ICT Adviser, Nahid Islam, will hold a press conference soon after receiving the probe reports, where he will reveal details of the corruption.
Mahbubur Rahman, additional secretary of the ICT Division and head of the probe committee, told Bangladesh Pratidin that 21 PDs were called in for questioning. They found various forms of corruption and mismanagement in nearly every project.
“During the investigation, unnecessary budget allocations for various projects were slashed which saved a significant amount of government money,” he said.
“We have observed some astonishing figures in the budgets of nearly every project. We are uncovering the extent of corruption as we proceed with our investigations. We are also looking into several future projects outside the ongoing ones, and we’re discovering similar evidence of embezzlement. Already, 10 to 12 projects have been dismissed,” he added.
In addition, the purchasing for these projects was often made from companies handpicked by the ministry, where the opportunity for corruption was almost guaranteed.
The 22 projects were taken up during the tenure of the previous Awami League government. Among these projects, projects worth Tk 19,000 crores are implemented under the ICT Division. Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) implemented six projects worth Tk 5,500 crore.
Each project was undertaken based on the decisions of the government policymakers.
Most of the 22 projects were initiated in 2016, with a few extending into 2027. Funding allocations for some projects were raised in multiple phases, and the funds were directly managed by the former state minister.
The list of ongoing and future projects under investigation includes the Skill Development for Mobile Game and Application Project (Tk 330 crore), Aspire to Innovate (a2i) (Tk 855 crore), Digital Interactive Knack for Knowledgeable Human Assets (DIKKHA) Project (Tk 27 crore), Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) (Tk 442 crore), Enhancement of Bangla Language in ICT through Research and Development (Tk 158 crore), Digital Sylhet City Project (Tk 30 crore), Connected Bangladesh Project (Tk 504 crore), BGD E-Government CIRT Project (Tk 167 crore), Enhancing Digital Government & Economy Project (Tk 2,541 crore), Strengthening of Government Video Conferencing Platform Project (Tk 49 crore), and Partnerships for a More Tolerant, Inclusive Bangladesh (PTIB) (Tk 8 crore).
Additionally, projects under the Bangladesh High-Tech Park Authority include establishing several Sheikh Kamal IT Training & Incubation Centers, and IT Park establishments, collectively amounting to over Tk 6,700 crore.
Additionally, projects, under the Department of ICT, being investigated include the Establishment of Digital Labs in Educational Institutions (2nd Phase) Project (Tk 936 crore), the Establishing Digital Connectivity (EDC) Project (Tk 5,923 crore), and the Her Power Project (Tk 287 crore).
The committee is also investigating projects being implemented under BCC, including – the iDEA Project (Tk 271 crore), the Enhancement of Bangla Language in ICT through Research & Development (Tk 159 crore), the Connected Bangladesh Project (Tk 504 crore), the BGD e-Gov CIRT Project (Tk 2,141 crore), the Strengthening of Government Video Conferencing Platform Project (Tk 47 crore), and the Enhancing Digital Government & Economy Project (Tk 2,541 crore).
Bd-pratidin English/Fariha Nowshin Chinika
