ICT Sector Sees Tk 25,000cr Graft During AL Tenure

A government-formed taskforce has been left stunned by widespread irregularities and corruption uncovered during its investigation into various ICT (Information and Communication Technology) projects undertaken during the tenure of the Awami League government. The investigation has revealed alarming embezzlement in projects worth over 250 billion Taka (25,000 crore).

Several of these projects, initiated in the names of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members, have been identified as fronts for misappropriating public funds. The taskforce’s investigation is still ongoing, and its tenure has recently been extended by another two months. The taskforce is expected to submit a white paper on the irregularities to the government by September 22.

ICT Division Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury said, “We are making great progress. The taskforce is working diligently to uncover details of the corruption in every project. Based on the progress so far, the chief advisor has approved a two-month extension. We are hopeful that the white paper will be submitted by September 22.”

According to sources, many projects were initiated under the names of Sheikh Hasina and her family members solely for the purpose of misappropriating funds. In the past 15 years, 82 development projects worth over 510 billion Taka (51,000 crore) were initiated in various ministries in the names of the Sheikh family. Among these, 11 ICT-related projects, amounting to several thousand crore taka, were directly named after members of the Sheikh family.

If a project carried the Sheikh family’s name, it would often get approved unconditionally, with generous budget allocations. Project costs were repeatedly increased, and auditing of these projects was prohibited by direct orders from the highest levels of government. These findings were also corroborated by internal investigations of the ICT Division.

The implementation of these projects was directly overseen by former ministers Mustafa Jabbar and Zunaid Ahmed Palak. The budgets of most of the 11 projects were revised upwards multiple times, with little regard for financial regulations.

Due to the involvement of the Sheikh family’s names, no one dared to question them. When some officials did raise concerns about the necessity of such projects, they were labeled anti-Awami League and subsequently faced transfers and were denied promotions. The ICT Division has identified about 25 such officials.

Projects named after Sheikh family members included: Bangabandhu Satellite (after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman), Hi-Tech Parks, IT training centers named after Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Russel Digital Labs, Sheikh Hasina Institute, among others.

Recently, the names of all such projects in the ICT sector that were previously associated with the Sheikh family have been renamed, and unnecessary and unreasonable expenses have been cut.

Meanwhile, the taskforce’s investigation into 21 ICT projects worth 25,000 crore taka from the previous government has also uncovered alarming levels of corruption. According to sources, many of these projects undertaken by the ICT Division, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, Bangladesh Computer Council, and Department of ICT were found to be either unnecessary, misaligned with objectives, or some projects fall outside the ICT Division’s scope.

For example, in several projects under the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority—such as IT training and incubation center construction—excessive land acquisition, inflated land development costs, and overly large and unnecessarily luxurious infrastructure (including warehouses in training centers) resulted in massive financial wastage.

Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury stated that the taskforce is also reviewing earlier projects beyond the identified 21, including tech-related projects initiated by ministries outside the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and ICT. Taskforce members are interviewing consultants, contractors, suppliers, and beneficiaries of these projects as part of the investigation.

He added, “The work is being carried out very thoroughly and systematically. Along with identifying the embezzlers, the taskforce is also focusing on the overall irregularities and mismanagement. The final white paper will present their findings and recommendations.”

The taskforce was officially formed on April 17, with a gazette notification from the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and ICT. Members include: Professor Muhammad Mustafa Hossain, legal expert Barrister Afzal Zami Syed Ali, technology expert Mahmud Salam Maruf, and journalist Md Shariat Ullah, Technology expert Asif Shahriar Sushmit has also been included as the main coordinator.

According to the gazette, the taskforce was formed to investigate irregularities and mismanagement in the ICT sector and to publish an ICT white paper. Their responsibilities include reviewing all contracts, project proposals (DPPs), audit reports, and previous investigation reports related to projects conducted during the tenure of the previous government.