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The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has identified 54 sources of corruption across four key service sectors, as well as 93 recommendations to combat them, according to its annual report.
ACC members led by Chairman Md Moinuddin Abdullah handed President Abdul Hamid the report for 2020 and 2021 at the Bangabhaban on Sunday.
At the ceremony, the president urged the ACC to take strong steps to guarantee that no one is engaged in corruption. He also urged that the ACC’s operations be made more dynamic by boosting the use of information technology.
The report finds 10 corruption sources in the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), 6 in the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), 10 in the land sub-registry offices, and 28 in the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
Regarding the corruption at DGDA, the report said, in every step including the formation of new pharmaceutical units, the import or production of pharmaceutical raw materials and medicines, and the preparation and use of packaging, dishonest employees accept various forms of bribes. The DGDA is also unable to determine whether or not medicines manufactured by a company fulfil the World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
Drug stores have to pay bribes during licenses renewals. Many DGDA officials also allegedly accept bribes to allow drug stores to sell expired or substandard drugs.
The ACC advised that every license or renewal document be provided through an automated system, with the drug businesses and market being closely monitored.
It also advised keeping doctors from receiving payments or gifts from pharmaceutical companies in exchange for prescribing brand-name drugs. Speaking on the matter, DGDA Director General Maj Gen Md Yousuf told The Business Post: “We have already digitised some services including revenue collection in a bid to curb the irregularities and make the services faster.”
Regarding the sub-registry offices, the report said, it was another major source of corruption in the country’s service sector. Every stage of the land-registration process is tainted by corruption and linked to undisclosed sources of income.
To prevent such corruption and irregularities, ACC recommended starting a database system where all supporting documents including information on the buyer, seller and selling prices will be recorded.
The report also added that BRTA officials were receiving bribes in exchange for providing registration to vehicles without an inspection, costing the government a significant amount of money.
In this regard, ACC suggested delivering a token number to the service user through an electronic scroll similar to serial maintenance at hospitals.
“We are sending the findings and recommendations to the related ministries. The ministries can take action against the irregularities. But we are pessimistic because the previous recommendation did not implement yet” Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah, Chairman of the ACC said.
