No time to read? Just listen to the news!
TL;DR
- Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) reports 23% to 40% of funds for road and bridge projects were lost to corruption over 15 years.
- The study covered completed projects between 2017-18 and 2021-22, highlighting systemic corruption involving politicians, bureaucrats, and contractors.
- TIB’s Executive Director emphasized the need to dismantle entrenched syndicates to ensure successful anti-corruption efforts.
- Bangladesh ranks poorly in global corruption indices, with calls for reforms to address public sector corruption and money laundering.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has unveiled a report highlighting significant corruption in the country’s road and bridge sectors over the past 15 years. The findings, presented on October 9, 2024, in Dhaka, reveal that between the fiscal years 2009-10 and 2022-23, the government allocated a total of 169,449.93 crore Bangladeshi Taka for these sectors. However, an estimated 23% to 40% of these funds, amounting to between 29,230 crore and 50,835 crore Bangladeshi Taka, were lost to corruption.
The study scrutinized projects completed between fiscal years 2017-18 and 2021-22, which were initiated from 2010-11 to 2018-19. It focused on road construction, road development, bridge construction, bridge development (under 1500 meters), and other infrastructure projects. Data was collected from 21 divisional offices across 13 circles within the Roads and Highways Department’s ten zones.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of TIB, emphasized the entrenched nature of corruption within these projects. He stated, “There is a tripartite collusion among politicians, bureaucrats, and contractors in projects intended for public welfare. This corruption has become institutionalized from the lowest to the highest levels.” He also pointed out that between 40% and 43% of funds in the Roads and Highways Division are misappropriated through bribery.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman further highlighted the challenges faced in obtaining information about various projects from the Roads and Highways Division. He remarked on the lack of transparency and expressed hope that all publishable information would be made available to ensure accountability.
The report also addressed corruption in foreign-funded projects, noting that domestic bureaucrats often collaborate with foreign counterparts in corrupt practices. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman stressed that without dismantling these entrenched syndicates, anti-corruption efforts would not succeed.
This revelation comes at a time when Bangladesh’s position in global corruption indices is worsening. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2023, Bangladesh ranks among the lowest globally and second-lowest in South Asia, only ahead of Afghanistan. The CPI highlights intensified public sector corruption and ineffective measures against money laundering as major issues facing the country.
The findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to combat corruption effectively. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman called for challenging the impunity enjoyed by corrupt individuals and ensuring that powerful figures are brought to justice irrespective of their status or identity.
