Muhith admits TIB statements

The finance minister, AMA Muhith, on Wednesday admitted the statement of Transparency International Bangladesh that the country could not make any improvement in the global corruption perceptions index because of series of loan scams in the banking sector.
All pervading corruption could not be addressed, he told reporters while commenting on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 released by Transparency International on Wednesday.
‘It is my personal idea…I don’t want to talk further on the issue,’ he said as he was talking to reporters after a meeting of the cabinet committee on national purchase.
TIB said that Bangladesh had went up one step amongst the most corrupt countries and ranked the 13th most corrupt country in the world in 2015.
Its officials said that series of loan scams prevented the country from making any improvement in the corruption index.
Muhith, however, said that the corruption watchdog should consider initiatives the government took after the loan scams in Sonali Bank and BASIC Bank.
Even a deputy managing director was arrested, he said, adding that arrest of such high level banker never happened in the country.
On June 30, 2015, Muhith told parliament that action against the former BASIC Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu could not be taken because of ruling Awami League leaders.
The Anti-Corruption Commission has already dropped Bacchu from the list of accused after a three-year inquiry into misappropriation of BASIC Bank’s funds worth more than Tk 4,500 crore.
Muhith said that the government had given emphasis on digitalisation to check the corruption.

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