ACC to file cases against 7 BEWB officials for fund misappropriation
Friday, 9 November 2012
Jubair Hasan
Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has moved to file cases against seven officials of Bangladesh Employee Welfare Board (BEWB) after its inquiry team found their involvement in misappropriating funds of the board.
The anti graft body has already submitted its inquiry report to the commission seeking its approval to go for legal action against the unscrupulous officials who allegedly embezzled a significant amount of money from the welfare fund on forged vouchers.
According to the inquiry report, the BEWB in its 49th board meeting approved 475 applications for providing financial assistance for
medical treatment of the government employees suffering from critical diseases.
On receipt of the applications, the board provided Tk 0.1 million to each applicant, it stated.
"We initially found 50 false applications after examining those and the officials with the help of others withdrew Tk 5.0 million from various commercial banks," a key member of the ACC team told the FE.
He said they will lodge the case about the financial irregularities soon after getting the ACC's order to go ahead with the matter.
He, however, could not reveal identities of the BEWB officials before approval of the commission to file cases.
"We've enough evidence that the officials took the money on submission of false and baseless applications," he said.
He further said the inquiry team also found involvement of 32 others who committed the same offence for their personal gains.
"They (the 32 persons) swindled out the amount of the welfare fund from 24 commercial banks against forged applications," the official of the anti graft watchdog said.
Meanwhile, the commission Thursday sent letters signed by chief of the inquiry team and ACC deputy director Moniruzzaman to 24 banks concerned seeking account-related statements of the persons.
Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has moved to file cases against seven officials of Bangladesh Employee Welfare Board (BEWB) after its inquiry team found their involvement in misappropriating funds of the board.
The anti graft body has already submitted its inquiry report to the commission seeking its approval to go for legal action against the unscrupulous officials who allegedly embezzled a significant amount of money from the welfare fund on forged vouchers.
According to the inquiry report, the BEWB in its 49th board meeting approved 475 applications for providing financial assistance for
medical treatment of the government employees suffering from critical diseases.
On receipt of the applications, the board provided Tk 0.1 million to each applicant, it stated.
"We initially found 50 false applications after examining those and the officials with the help of others withdrew Tk 5.0 million from various commercial banks," a key member of the ACC team told the FE.
He said they will lodge the case about the financial irregularities soon after getting the ACC's order to go ahead with the matter.
He, however, could not reveal identities of the BEWB officials before approval of the commission to file cases.
"We've enough evidence that the officials took the money on submission of false and baseless applications," he said.
He further said the inquiry team also found involvement of 32 others who committed the same offence for their personal gains.
"They (the 32 persons) swindled out the amount of the welfare fund from 24 commercial banks against forged applications," the official of the anti graft watchdog said.
Meanwhile, the commission Thursday sent letters signed by chief of the inquiry team and ACC deputy director Moniruzzaman to 24 banks concerned seeking account-related statements of the persons.