Staff Correspondent

Serious allegations of contract manipulation and commission trading have surfaced in various media and local circles against Sharif Ahmad Mahfuz Ul Alam Molla, Joint Director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) at the Chandpur river port.

The allegations of abuse of power and financial transactions against the government official primarily center around port leases and the execution of development projects.

The key areas of allegations against him include:

Contract Control

The official faces allegations of providing unfair advantages to specific favored parties during the allocation of ghat leases or internal renovation works. He allegedly awards contracts to his preferred individuals through commission agreements, illegally earning millions of taka in return.

Commission Trading and Misuse of Position

He is accused of demanding a fixed amount of illegal commission or bribes in exchange for awarding contracts and passing bills. Furthermore, using his administrative power, he irregularly takes a large portion of earnings from local ghats or toll collection points.

Recent BIWTA Drive and ACC Actions

In recent times, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched extensive inquiries against multiple top and mid-level BIWTA officials. Officials at the Additional Director and Deputy Director levels were temporarily suspended following the leak of video footage showing bribery in exchange for fuel supply contracts. Disciplinary measures were also taken against Director-level officials over scandal, while influential officials like AKM Arif Uddin, former Director of the agency's Port and Transport Department, were dismissed from service on serious corruption charges.

Investigation into Undisclosed Assets

The ACC is currently investigating illegal wealth linked to more than a dozen officials, including dredgers purchased under anonymous names, luxury apartments, and vessels bought under their wives' names. It has been learned that Sharif Ahmad Mahfuz Ul Alam Molla, Joint Director of the Chandpur river port, is among those listed under investigation.

It is reported that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will investigate the serious allegations of contract manipulation and commission trading against BIWTA Joint Director Mahfuz under its zero-tolerance policy against corruption and take swift, effective action.

Crime analysts say that if action is not taken against these corrupt officials immediately, it will become impossible to rein them in later.