Dhaka, Jan 31 (UNB) – BNP on Thursday alleged that corruption has now taken a devastating turn in the country, but the media are unable to publish reports on the malpractice due to the government’s control.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also said Information Minister Hasan Mahmud rejected the report of Transparency International (TI) on corruption only to hide facts.
“The information minister has said the TI’s report was accurate during the BNP’s rule, but now it is giving imaginary report…not only the country’s people, but also the international community get surprised when he comes up with such information,” the BNP leader said.
He further said, “The information minister is giving wrong information about the TI report only to protect his portfolio. Actually, corruption has reached a terrible level and taken a serious turn, but all the information are not being public as the media are now controlled”.
According to the TI report unveiled on Tuesday, Bangladesh ranks the second most corrupt country in South Asia, only ahead of war-torn Afghanistan. Its global position is 149th out of 180 countries surveyed last year, which is 13th from the bottom.
Rejecting the TI’s report, Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday claimed that the report was motivated and faulty.
Rizvi said Global Financial Integrity presented a report on Monday about siphoning off money from Bangladesh.
According to the report, he said around Tk 50,000 crore was siphoned off the country only in 2018 while Tk 5.3 lakh corre over the last 10 years. “Awami League leaders and high government officials laundered the money. So, the Information Minister can’t hide the truth with falsehood through the media.”
The BNP leader alleged that Awami league after forming the new government through ‘fake voting’ has brought the legislative, judiciary and the executive branches of the sate under the same centre. “The balance of state power is now in the state to collapse anytime.”
He said the government has continued repressing opposition leaders and activists across the country to suppress its opponents. “People now even get sacred seeing their own shadows as an awful situation has been created in the country.”
