TDS Desk

Sheikh Bashir Uddin, the current commerce adviser of the interim government, has revealed that, during the Awami League government’s tenure, he had to pay a bribe of Tk20 crore for road cutting alone to build a 40-kilometre pipeline at his own expense for supplying gas to his industrial plant.

“I even had to pay bribes to pay that Tk20 crore bribe,” Bashir, who is the CEO of AkijBashir Group, made the statement while addressing a seminar, titled “Ways of Mitigating Energy Crisis in the Industrial Sectors”, held at The Westin Dhaka in the capital on November 23.

Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan was present at the event, along with other dignitaries.

Bashir said, “I had to stand in the rain in front of the residence of the state minister for power, energy and mineral resources [Nasrul Hamid Bipu] to get the gas connection.

“I had to listen to many lectures from him. I didn’t even get minimum respect. Even then, I had to say ‘yes sir, yes sir’.”

He further added, “Sometimes I feel like having CT scans done and checking the brains of some people to see why people can be so criminal.”

The commerce adviser also said, “I have heard the energy adviser [Fouzul] say at a meeting that the energy sector is a pillar of criminalisation and corruption. We have to get out of it.”

Bashir, also the managing director of Akij Group, was appointed as the adviser to the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Jute and Textiles on 10 November.

Son of Sheikh Akijuddin, founder of renowned business conglomerate Akij Group, Bashir started his own business endeavour, AkijBashir Group, in 2022.