EC secretary accuses media of misquoting him on cash a person can carry

He says those who intercepted the cash, not him, should provide a legal explanation on how much an individual can carry

Election Commission (EC) Secretary Akhtar Ahmed has accused the media of misquoting him over the amount of cash permitted to be carried a day before the parliamentary election.

Speaking at the EC headquarters on Wednesday, he wondered how he could have said that carrying Tk 50 million would not be a problem.

“I have no authority, right, or power to say that, and I never said it,” he said.

“I am telling you publicly that I have been misquoted. Please do not misquote me. We are all set to witness a fair election. It would be extremely unfortunate to mislead people with false information,” he said.

Explaining the circumstances of the comment, he said he was asked about a financial matter, and he replied that those who intercepted the money would decide, taking into account its source and purpose.

“That is all I said,” he said.

He said he felt “insulted” and was “angry”.

“I am expressing my anger through you. Please refrain from providing false information,” he told journalists.

The senior bureaucrat wondered why he would be consulted for a legal opinion on the matter of how much cash an individual can carry before an election.

He said those who intercepted the cash would provide the legal explanation.

On Wednesday morning, police detained a Jamaat-e-Islami leader at Saidpur Airport in Nilphamari for carrying Tk 7.4 million.