Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, Md Mokhlesur Rahman, has denied allegations that a Tk 3 crore cheque was provided for a deputy commissioner appointment.
Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat on Monday, Mokhlesur labelled the claims "false and ill-motivated," urging media outlets to verify information before publishing such reports.
The controversy arose after the daily Kalbela published a report on September 24, claiming that businessman Mirza Sabed Ali had offered a Tk 3 crore cheque to a joint secretary in the Public Administration Ministry to secure the appointment of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director Md Abdul Awal as DC of Naogaon.
The report also alleged that the cheque was recovered from the official’s office, though it had not been cashed as the posting was not granted.
Mokhlesur dismissed the report as an attempt to mislead the public. “The Kalbela newspaper has spread a rumour and made it go viral with a picture. I urge the media to verify facts before running such news. This is a false and ill-motivated report,” he said.
An investigation into the matter found no evidence of financial misconduct, he said. The secretary explained that the businessman in question, Mirza Sabed Ali, had opened a fake account at Padma Bank in 2023 with an initial deposit of just Tk 2,000. The account now shows a zero balance, and Ali has become unreachable, with his mobile phone switched off.
"The claims were baseless and aimed at tarnishing reputations,” he remarked, criticizing the report for damaging the credibility of those involved.
In response to the situation, Mokhlesur said that Bangladesh Bank will be asked to issue stricter regulations to prevent the opening of fraudulent bank accounts. The Ministry of Public Administration has also requested law enforcement to take legal action against the individual responsible for the false allegations.
Additionally, the Ministry plans to formally request the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take action against the dissemination of unverified and misleading reports in the media.
