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The Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) has not paid an outstanding commission of Tk 31 crore to clearing & Forwarding (C&F) agents who redeemed Covid-19 vaccine and other health equipment purchased with their own money and received as foreign donation last year.
The matter has been revealed in a letter, seen by The Business Post, from the Health Services Division to Finance Division recently.
Acknowledging the payment failure, Health Ministry Additional Secretary (Budget Wing) Nilufer Nazneen told The Business Post that the issue has come to their attention and that they are working to solve it.
“They (C&F agents) will be paid once we get the budget. But it is a continuous process. We try to solve any such cases that come to us,” she said.
According to sources, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the government procured and received donations of coronavirus vaccines and other medical equipment. C&F agents were appointed by CMSD to get the goods released from customs. As per the contract, the agents are supposed to be paid 1 per cent of the final tariff price fixed by the customs authorities as commission. But the agents were never paid as there was no allocation for such payment in the budget.
According to the Health Services Division letter, the CMSD needs to pay a total of Tk Tk 31,66,75,790 crore in commission to seven C&F agent organisations. Among the organisations, the CMSD owes Atlantic Traders Tk 89,98,651, JF Popular Tk 8,17,11,658, Badal & Company Tk 6,64,04,483, Faith International Tk 1,54,33,908.40, MB Trading & Clearing Tk 6,41,37,228.23 and AS International Tk 7,99,89,861.39.
The letter states that the agents can be paid if the Tk 31,66,75,790.81 is allocated in favour of CMSDA in the upcoming budget.
