Staff Correspondent

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Saturday said many crimes have been committed in the past and he would work to bring the perpetrators to book.

“We will ensure punishment for perpetrators following the rules. We have been here for a while. Although I will not be able to do all the work, I will try to send a message that no one can get away with crimes in the financial sector,” he said.

Dr Salehuddin, also the commerce and science and technology adviser, was addressing as the chief guest at the Corporate Governance Excellence Award ceremony organised by the Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh (ICSB) in Dhaka.

He said, “If we can utilise our manpower properly, the country's economy will turn around quickly. A lot of resources have already been wasted, while huge wealth has been looted resorting to corruption.”

Urging all to refrain from wasting personal or country's resources, he said corruptions that have already been committed would be investigated.

“There have been many irregularities [in the financial sector]. Transparency and accountability of every organisation should be ensured. It is possible to ensure the financial transparency of the institutions if the audit firms perform their duties properly.”

The adviser said the private sector institutions should be strengthened for the sake of the country's economic development.

“A crisis of confidence has developed in the banking sector and we are witnessing its negative consequences. A favourable investment climate must be ensured. If there is no trust, investments from abroad will not come here.”

Mentioning that an organisation has three parts – Board of Directors, Management Board, and Accounts Management Department or Auditor Institution, he said, “If the auditors present the correct information to directors or management, the company will run in the right direction. Auditors have to keep a watchful eye at all times.”