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Published : 09 Aug 2025, 10:44 PM
ABM Abdus Sattar, a former secretary and personal aide to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, has accused eight interim government advisors of “rampant corruption”, claiming he holds evidence of their misconduct.
Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid has strongly dismissed the allegations as “baseless”.
Sattar also claimed that intelligence agencies already possess evidence against the advisors.
“No one is appointed to or transferred from a key post without coordination with the advisors,” he said.
Sattar, who also serves as the general secretary of the Officers’ Club, did not name any of the advisors.
Speaking at a discussion organised by the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association in Dhaka on Friday, Sattar also questioned the qualifications and experience of two advisors.
Rashid, however, rejected the comments in a statement on Saturday night.
“Making sweeping claims without presenting evidence or identifying individuals is irresponsible and harmful to public interest,” he said.
“Our administration is committed to transparency, integrity, and accountability,” he added. “If Mr Abdus Sattar holds credible proof of misconduct, we urge him to submit it without delay to the relevant legal or investigative authorities.”
The statement noted that public discussions should rely on facts, not assumptions, until any proof is submitted.
ALLEGATIONS IN DETAIL
Sattar, also an officer from the 82nd batch of the BCS Administration Cadre, alleged that corruption under the current government has surpassed that of the previous Awami League administration, citing two examples.
“An assistant commissioner (land) demanded Tk 3 million for recording the ownership of a school’s land. In another case, a UNO near Dhaka demanded Tk 2 million to approve a factory layout,” he said.
“The Uprising was against corruption and discrimination. After such a movement, the expectation was that no one would walk the path of corruption again. But what is happening now?
“In the past year, corruption has exceeded previous records,” he added.
Sattar questioned why no action was taken despite media reports that Tk 2 billion had been found in the personal secretary’s account of an advisor. “Why was nothing done against him?
“People say this is a ‘foreign government’, a ‘Grameen Bank government’, a ‘Chittagong Samity government’,” he said.
Accusing Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus of inaction, he said: “My only request to Mr Yunus -- I am his admirer and wish him success -- is that he knows what is happening. But no action is being taken. I speak of frustration because we must learn from this situation. I am very disappointed.”
At the seminar, Sattar also raised questions about the qualifications of Health Advisor Nurjahan Begum.
“Can Nurjahan Begum run a ministry like health? Who is she? Such an important post has been given to her, and now the consequences are clear,” he said.
He also criticised the decision to entrust both the local government and youth and sports ministries to what he described as an “inexperienced advisor”.
