Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said that the corruption, theft and looting of the Awami League were being downplayed in political arguments.
He made the remark at a press conference, organised on 鈥榃idespread corruption in the power sector during the Awami League government鈥� at BNP chairperson鈥檚 office in Dhaka鈥檚 Gulshan.
鈥榃e believe that the highest level of corruption has taken place in the power sector, and it seems people are forgetting how the Awami League has devastated the country and brought the economy to a standstill,鈥� Mirza Fakhrul said.
鈥榃hat I mean is 鈥� we will review all these issues... We will take whatever actions are necessary based on that review.鈥�
During the press conference BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku made a presentation on corruption in the power sector during the AL government.
He demanded that all agreements signed in the power and energy sectors during Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 government be made public.
Tuku said that the AL government had attempted to showcase its achievements in the power sector, but in doing so, it burdened the people of Bangladesh financially.
He said that the AL government saw the power sector as an opportunity for quick, unaccountable financial gains.
鈥業 urge the interim government to scrutinise every contract in the power sector, as none of them adhere to public procurement rules. They have bypassed regulations, created their own laws, and awarded contracts through closed tenders at their discretion. The public has right to be informed about these matters,鈥� Tuku said.
In his presentation, Tuku said that the total expenditure in the power sector over the past 15 years amounted to $28.3 billion, equivalent to Tk 3,33,940 crore at the current exchange rate.
He claimed that nearly Tk 1 lakh crore was misappropriated through capacity charges.
In the financial year 2008-09, the amount stood at Tk 1,507 crore, in 2011-12, it rose to Tk 5,000 crore, by 2018-19, it had reached Tk 8,900 crore and in 2022-23, it amounted to Tk 17,155 crore, the presentation revealed.
鈥榃ho were the beneficiaries of this exploitation? I am referring to the top five companies in terms of capacity charges 鈥� Summit, which received Tk 10,630 crore, Agro International Tk 7,932 crore, Ultra Power Holdings Tk 7,523 crore; United Group Tk 6,575 crore and RPCL Tk 5,117 crore,鈥� Tuku mentioned.
鈥楿nder the pretext of importing electricity from India, they have paid a capacity charge of Tk 11,150 crore over the past nine years,鈥� he said.
Tuku, the former state minister for power, in his presentation said that after observing the pattern of corruption in the electricity sector, it became clear that the sector had been undermined.
Tuku gave an example, highlighting that an average of Tk 4,500 was spent extra for each meter, with the purchase price being Tk 6,200.
This led to an additional cost of Tk 1,720 per meter, he claimed.
Tuku said that it was important to ensure transparency and accountability in the power sector to prevent corruption and irregularities, increase public participation in the project implementation process, enact strict laws to prevent corruption, take action against those involved in corruption in the power sector, and take measures to regularly monitor and inspect electricity.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan was present at the press conference.