The Anti-Corruption Commission on Sunday filed a case against six people, including former Bangladesh Railway director general Shamsuzzaman, on charges of causing losses of Tk聽358 crore to the state in the purchase of luggage vans for transporting agricultural products and other goods.
ACC deputy assistant director Md Habibur Rahman filed the case with the commission鈥檚 integrated district office in Dhaka-1, said the commission director general for public relations Aktar Hossain.
He said, 鈥楾he accused have caused state losses through abuse of power, presenting false information, financial irregularities and criminal breach of trust.鈥�
In 2018, tenders were invited to purchase 125 luggage vans under the Bangladesh Railway鈥檚 鈥楻olling Stock Operations Improvement Project.鈥�
The project proposal estimated Tk 176 crore for purchasing 75 metre-gauge luggage vans and Tk 152.6 crore for 50 broad-gauge luggage vans.
The proposal presented the project as 鈥榚conomically profitable鈥� by projecting potential future revenue.
After the fall of the Awami League regime amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5, 2024, the ACC started inquiries into alleged irregularities and corruption in various sectors of the Bangladesh Railway.
The first names listed in the case statement are Bangladesh Railway additional chief mechanical engineer Ahmed Mahbub Chowdhury and director Mrinal Kanti Banik. Both were members of the feasibility assessment committee for the project.
The list of accused also includes Abdul Matin Chowdhury, who served as the project director, and former general manager (west) of Bangladesh Railway Md Harun-or-Rashid, who was involved in project implementation.
Additionally, former general manager Md Mizanur Rahman and former director general Shamsuzzaman have been accused in connection with the irregularities.
According to the case statement, from project approval to procurement-related decisions, the accused undertook various 鈥榠rregular, negligent, and intentional鈥� actions that resulted in significant financial losses to the state.
According to the ACC, the accused, in collusion with one another, abused their official power and engaged in fraud, false representation and serious financial misconduct.
The purchase of the luggage vans was initiated through an international competitive tender titled 鈥楶rocurement of Fifty BG and Seventy-Five MG Luggage Vans.鈥�
The project proposal justified the purchase by citing the need for farmers to transport vegetables, fruits, grains, milk, meat, and seasonal produce.
However, the ACC鈥檚 enquiry found that while the project showed a profit of Tk 32.46 crore in the 2023鈥�24 financial year, the actual revenue in the first eight months of 2024 was only Tk聽8.29 crore. In the same period the previous year, revenue was nearly Tk 9 crore.
Citing these findings, the ACC said that the income and expenditure projections used during project approval were based on 鈥榰nrealistic and distorted information.鈥�
The commission alleged that essential steps such as market research, verifying actual demand among farmers and traders, and assessing the capacity to transport goods to stations were not properly taken.
Instead, the proposal deliberately included the purchase of luggage vans despite there being no genuine need for those, according to the ACC case.
