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Attorney general Md Asaduzzaman on Saturday called on lawyers across Bangladesh to raise their voices against corruption and unethical conduct within their own profession.

Speaking as the ex-officio chairman of the Bangladesh Bar Council at its annual extended meeting held at the council’s building in the capital, he stressed that restoring respect for the legal profession depends on lawyers taking a strong stand against misconduct among their peers.

‘If we cover up our own crimes—if we protect those caught red-handed with bribe money or allow abuse of domestic workers — our mission will fail,’ he said. ‘Our silence will only weaken the profession.’

The attorney general made the remarks while addressing presidents and general secretaries of all district bar associations across the country attended to the meeting.

His comments came in the wake of a serious allegation involving lawyer Md Ruhul Amin Shikder, known for his links to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Shikder, a public prosecutor in the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Patuakhali, allegedly tried to bribe senior district Judge Nilufar Shirin with Tk 50,000 in a gang-rape case on August 20.

Humayun Kabir, the president of the Patuakhali District Bar Association, told the meeting that Shikder sent an envelope to the judge’s residence, which contained both a case file and cash. The judge immediately alerted bar leaders and confronted the person who delivered it. CCTV footage supported the judge’s account.

Following the incident, the district bar association suspended Shikder’s membership and issued him a show-cause notice. A formal complaint was also submitted to the Bangladesh Bar Council, the regulatory body for lawyers.

‘We have already tried to stop him from engaging in unethical activities,’ Humayun added.

Bar Council’ executive committee chairman Ruhul Quddus Kazal said this and another recent case had seriously damaged the image of the legal profession.

In the second incident, a lawyer was accused of physically abusing two child domestic workers, a case that was widely reported on television and social media.

‘These incidents have shocked the lawyer community,’ Kazal said. ‘We must hold ourselves to higher standards. Lawyers represent the people and must not betray that trust.’

Kazal emphasised that the Bar Council can only act on formal complaints and urged local bar leaders to address such misconduct seriously.

‘The people of this country look to us for justice,’ said the attorney general. ‘We must lead by example.’