Former postal DG Sudangshu Bhadra arrested on graft charges

He is accused of misappropriating Tk 150 million in project funds in a case started by the Anti-Corruption Commission

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested Sudhangshu Shekhar Bhadra, the former director general of the postal directorate, on charges of corruption.

Bhadra was taken into custody on Tuesday and preparations were underway to present him in court, said ACC Deputy Director and Public Relations Officer Akhtarul Islam.

The arrest stems from a case filed by the graftbusters in August, which accuses Bhadra of misappropriating Tk 150 million allocated for purchasing servers and UPS under the "Post E-Center for Rural Community" project.

The project involved buying 500 HP servers and various electronic items, including Winner UPS, from the state-owned Telephone Industries Corporation for Tk 150.1 million.

These were meant to be distributed to post offices across district and Upazila levels.

However, the case reveals that there is no evidence the machines were ever used. In several instances, the equipment remained unopened and unused, owing to a lack of instructions from project authorities.

Bhadra faces charges of violating Section 23 of the Public Finance and Budget Management Act, 2009. Additionally, his actions are considered a punishable offence under Sections 409/109 of the Penal Code and Section 5(2) of the Anti-Corruption Act, 1947.

Bhadra was sent into forced retirement in 2020 following allegations of corruption and breaches of discipline.