Rejoinder, our reply

Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) has sent a rejoinder to a news headlined “Where crimes draw no flak” published in The Daily Star on April 17.

We are publishing the full rejoinder, signed by Chowdhury Md Ishrat Shameem, general manager (PRD), as is with our reply.

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M/S Bulk Trade International Ltd submitted the carrying bill to the BCIC with MRR and certificate issued by Shantahar Buffer Godown. While checking the bill, marketing division found some discrepancies among the documents. Regarding the discrepancies, Shahjalal Fertiliser Factory investigated the matter by an inquiry committee and BCIC did not pay the concerned carrying bill.

In the meantime, South Delta Shipping and Trading Ltd submitted another bill of the same godown. Marketing division found same discrepancies. So BCIC formed a high powered committee headed by Director (planning and Implementation) to investigate the matter. If it is proved that anybody involved in misappropriation fertiliser, criminal and departmental actions will be lodged against them and the losses will be realised as compensation.

Allegation of fund misappropriation in 2015 against Mr Mohammad Shaheen Kamal, then Controller of Accounts presently working as Director (production and research) is not absolutely true. The amount was around Tk 60-62 thousand which was paid as reimbursement as such this is not misappropriation. This has done as per the delegation of financial power of BCIC and same have example in the previous year.

Momtaz Begum and Shaheen Kamal were rewarded instead of getting punished because they have blessing of BCIC's chairman in not true at all. They have been promoted by the virtue of their own merit after observing all formalities.

OUR REPLY

The BCIC's own investigation, not The Daily Star's, found two of its officers and two fertiliser transporters misappropriated over 5,400 tonnes of fertiliser worth approximately Tk 17.57 crore in two separate incidents.

In one case, the BCIC on January 15 wrote to the two officers -- Nabir Uddin Khan, former in-charge of Shantahar buffer warehouse, now on post-retirement leave, and Masudur Rahman, an accounts official of Shahjalal Fertiliser Company Ltd, who was posted at the Shantahar warehouse earlier, -- and transporter Bulk Trade International Ltd asking them to return Tk 3.94 crore within 15 days or face legal actions.

No action was taken against the officials or the carrier, even though they did not pay a penny back.

In the other case, the BCIC's own probe found the same officials and another transporter -- South Delta Shipping and Trading Ltd -- were involved in the misappropriation of around 3,890 tonnes of fertiliser worth Tk 13.63 crore.

It took no action against them apart from forming another probe body, which the BCIC has claimed.  

Again allegations of fund misappropriations against the BCIC Director (Production & Research) Shaheen Kamal were proved in an internal probe in 2015.

It was the industries ministry that asked the BCIC to file a departmental case against CoP Momtaz Begum, the then deputy-CoP, for “corruption, nepotism, taking financial benefits and leaking recruitment exam's question paper in 2009”.

Both Momtaz and Shaheen were promoted without facing actions recommended by the probe body. So the BCIC's claims in the rejoinder about them are not based on facts.

We stand by our report.