The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday launched formal investigation against five more senior officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) over allegations of amassing illegal wealth, abuse of power, and favouritism.
The ACC, in a press statement, said the officials allegedly facilitated large scale tax evasion by accepting hefty bribes from business entities, causing significant revenue losses for the state exchequer.
The officials facing the probe are Abdul Rashid Miah, Additional Commissioner, Large Taxpayers Unit (VAT); Md Lutfur Azim, Member; Md Alamgir Hossain, former Additional Director General, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID); Md Shihabul Islam, Deputy Tax Commissioner, Tax Zone-16, Dhaka; and Md Tarek Hasan, Joint Commissioner.
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Earlier, on June 29, the Commission launched investigations against six other high-ranking NBR officials over similar charges of corruption, abuse of authority, and providing illegal benefits to individuals and organisations over the past two decades.The six officials are AKM Badiul Alam, Member (Income Tax Policy); Mirza Ashiq Rana, Additional Tax Commissioner, Tax Zone-8, Dhaka; Mohammad Morshed Uddin Khan, Joint Tax Commissioner, BCS Tax Academy; Monalisa Shahreen Sushmita, Deputy Tax Commissioner, Tax Zone-16, Dhaka; Hasan Tarek Rikabdar, Additional Commissioner, Audit, Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, VAT, Dhaka; and Sadhan Kumar Kundu, Additional Commissioner, Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Dhaka (South).
Among them, Hasan Tarek is known to be the president of the NBR Reform Unity Council which is leading a movement seeking structural reforms within the revenue board instead of its dissolution.
ACC spokesperson Aktarul Islam said the accused officials allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for reducing tax liabilities while some also filed fabricated cases against business owners who refused to meet their illegal demands.
ACC launches probe against six NBR officials
There are also allegations that tax refunds were intentionally delayed, forcing taxpayers to pay bribes or offer gifts—sometimes equivalent to half the refundable amount—to access their dues, he said.
source : UNB