TIB demands withdrawal of remarks, public apology and accountability over advice allegedly given by a senior secretary
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has strongly condemned remarks by the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, expressing concern that his comments could effectively legitimise bribery under the guise of gifts in public procurement and government services.
Questioning the minister’s position, TIB asked whether he was attempting to give legal cover to the acceptance of illegal personal benefits from contractors in exchange for performing official duties.
The anti-graft organisation demanded immediate withdrawal of the remarks, a clear explanation of the government’s position and accountability from both the state minister and the senior secretary whose advice the minister reportedly cited.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (November 11), TIB said the minister had made the controversial remarks at the inauguration of a training programme for newly appointed assistant engineers of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) on November 10.
At the event, the minister reportedly said that gifts given to engineers from contractors’ profits after ensuring the quality of work and expediting bill payments should not be considered bribes and could be accepted.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said inspecting work quality, certifying completed projects and ensuring timely bill payments in accordance with regulations were among the routine responsibilities of government engineers.
“Government engineers receive salaries and allowances from public money precisely to perform these duties. Why, then, should they accept illegal payments from contractors under the guise of gifts in return for carrying out their official responsibilities? Is the state minister legitimising bribery and indirectly encouraging officials to take bribes by saying such gifts are acceptable?” he questioned.
He described advising newly appointed engineers to pursue irregular financial benefits from contractors at the very beginning of their careers as extremely irresponsible and contrary to the law.
Such remarks by a state minister, he warned, could legitimise demands for bribes at the field level and contribute to the wider spread of corruption.
“Under the pretext of encouraging a ‘new way of thinking’, is the minister attempting to further promote and protect a corruption-friendly environment in public procurement? The government must clarify whether this represents its official position,” Iftekharuzzaman said.
He also challenged the minister to publicly identify the legal or regulatory provision that allows government officials to receive personal benefits from contractors’ profits as a reward for performing their regular duties.
Referring to the legal framework, the TIB chief said Section 161 of the Penal Code criminalises a public servant’s acceptance of gratification, beyond lawful remuneration, as a reward or inducement for performing official duties.
He also referred to Section 165 of the Penal Code, which provides for punishment for public servants accepting valuable items without adequate consideration from persons connected with their official functions.
According to TIB, Rule 5(1) of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1979, requires prior government approval for accepting gifts that create official obligations towards the donors, subject to specified exceptions.
It also cited Rule 5(4), which sets a Tk 500 value ceiling for gifts received by secretaries or officials of equivalent rank from specified sources.
On the other hand, TIB referred to Paragraph 6(2) of Schedule 20 of the Public Procurement Rules, 2025, which permits the distribution of low-value promotional items, such as diaries, calendars and pens bearing institutional logos, with a maximum value of Tk 5,000 each.
The organisation argued that neither provision allows engineers to receive personal benefits from contractors’ profits as rewards for performing official responsibilities.
Highlighting the risk of conflicts of interest, Iftekharuzzaman said accepting personal benefits from contractors whose work engineers are responsible for supervising could compromise their impartiality.
Such transactions could influence inspection, supervision and bill-certification decisions, undermine equal opportunities for competing contractors and encourage collusion between engineers and contractors, he warned.
He further cautioned that the practice could spread to other government departments, eventually turning gifts into an informal precondition for receiving public services.
“What is now being described as a voluntary gift could eventually become a widespread practice of extracting illegal payments under the guise of gifts from citizens seeking services to which they are entitled,” he said.
The TIB executive director also raised serious concerns over the minister’s reference to advice allegedly given by a senior secretary.
“If the senior secretary actually offered such advice, serious questions arise about his professional integrity and ethical fitness to remain in office,” he said.
He added that the circumstances warranted scrutiny to determine whether there had been any collusive attempt by the minister and the senior secretary to institutionalise corruption.
Describing the position as embarrassing and potentially self-defeating for both the government and the ruling party, Iftekharuzzaman said it was also inconsistent with the government’s election manifesto.
Referring to an earlier controversy over remarks by the Road Transport and Bridges Minister describing extortion as a form of negotiated transaction, he urged the government to recognise the danger of corruption-friendly statements by senior officeholders.
TIB called on the state minister to publicly apologise and unconditionally withdraw his remarks.