Govt rejects TIB report; LGRD not number one corrupt ministry: LGD Secretary

Dhaka, July 5 (BDNEWS) – The government Wednesday rejected the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) corruption report where it said that the country incurred a financial loss of over Tk 526 crore in 423 incidents of corruption in the year 2005.

Briefing journalists, Local Government Division (LGD) secretary M Zahirul Islam, however, admitted that the TIB report is partially correct.

The secretary said the way of the TIB report prepared was not appropriate and the basis of the research - the press reports - was also not the perfect one.

Zahirul Islam also protested the portion of TIB report where the LGRD ministry was shown as the highest corrupt sector. He said LGRD ministry is not the number one corrupt ministry.

"I know that the LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan is one of the clean men among the ministers and I am proud of him," said the secretary.

Replying to press persons, the secretary said, "There is corruption in the government, but not at that level as mentioned in the report."

Although the secretary admitted different irregularities, including using of vehicles himself by abusing power, in his ministry, he clamed himself a cent percent clean man.

He said irregularities are not corruption and he commits such type of irregularities (using car) as everybody does.

According to the report, LGRD and cooperatives ministry is at the top of the list of corruption with incurring over Tk 208 crore losses in 2005. TIB has been carrying out research on the corruption since 2000.

BDNEWS/2027 hrs