**3. Major corruptions in different government sectors in Bangladesh**

Bangladesh is a developing country in the world and the economic growth is jumping up gradually. Different mega-projects are going on to the development in every sectors in Bangladesh. In this context, Bangladesh has witnessed some incidents of corruptions in several sectors. According to Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, Bangladesh ranks 147th on the list of 180 least corrupt countries [15]. Bribery and other corrupt practices in vital service delivery sectors continue to have a major negative effect on people's day-to-day lives. According to the National Household Survey on Corruption in service delivery published in June 2018 by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), roughly 66.5% of households were victims of corruption in some form or another. To add insult to injury, the study found that nearly nine in 10 (89%) bribe payers felt they had no choice but to do so because bribes were the only way to obtain public services [16].

Some have speculated that dwindling support for democratic norms may have an impact on corruption rates. The Economist Intelligence Unit recorded Bangladesh's lowest Democracy Index score ever in 2017. Overall, the country scored 5.43 out of 10, ranking it at 92nd place among the 165 countries studied [17]. Some analysts estimate that the country's annual GDP growth could have been at least 2–3% higher if corruption had been effectively managed behind the scenes. According to the Open Budget Index maintained by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), Bangladesh currently has a score of 41 out of 100. According to IBP's analysis, countries with an Open Budget Index score of 60 or higher are providing enough budget information for the public to participate in budget discussions with knowledge and expertise. Bangladesh, like many other countries with pervasive corruption, suffers most from a lack of unwavering political commitment, which allows corruption to flourish under the radar and is often protected by those in power [18]. It has been argued by some domestic experts that the country's corruption rates may have been affected by the apparent weakening of commitment to democratic norms. The Economist Intelligence Unit recorded Bangladesh's lowest Democracy Index score ever in 2017. Overall, the country scored 5.43 out of 10, ranking it at 92nd place among the 165 countries studied [17].

There is a substantial possibility of corruption in the courts in Bangladesh at the present time. The lower courts have a reputation for rampant corruption. Some magistrates, lawyers, and other court officials routinely ask for bribes from defendants or make decisions based on loyalty to patronage networks. For businesses, the indeterminacy, length (on average 1442 days), and high cost of enforcing a legally binding contract presents a significant obstacle [19]. While primary school in Bangladesh is technically free for all children aged 5–13 years, a 2009 survey of Bangladeshi families revealed that 66 percent of those families had to pay bribes to get their kids into the first grade (ages 5–7 years) [20]. Besides, it is mostly common, though it is not the only way, guardians has to pay extra if they wants to admit their children in better school. According to data collected by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) in 2015 as part of their Trust Index evaluation of various institutions in Bangladesh, only 14.2% of respondents in Dhaka and 13.2% in rural areas have faith

*Curbing Corruptions in Government Sectors: The Role of Anti-Corruption Commission… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108623*

**Figure 1.** *Corruption rank in Bangladesh (Trading [23]).*

in the police, while this number rises to 20.0% in other urban areas [21]. There is a rumored 10–20% bribe paid to the ruling party leader, 15–20% to the mayor, engineers, and civil managers, and 2–3% to other officials just to get the work order for an infrastructure project [22].

Nonetheless, Bangladesh ranked 147th in the corruption rank among the 180 countries in the world in 2021, while it was one position better (146th) in 2019 and 2020 (**Figure 1**). But it scored highest (149th) in the year of 2018 since 2012, while it was only 143th in 2017. The corruption level was so high in 2012 (144th) but in the next year, in 2013, it was developed from corruption (136th position). In keeping with Trading Economics data [23], this ranking is fluctuated in every year. But last 3 years, it was remaining almost same (146th–147th position).

Nevertheless, there are plenty of examples of corruption in Bangladesh. In almost every sector, corruption is prevailing for some dishonest officials and the customers. This study focused on four cases of corruption recently recorded in Bangladesh.

#### **CASE 1: a big money embezzlement**

Proshanta Kumar Halder (PK Halder), a former head of NRB Global Bank, is facing multiple charges of embezzlement in Bangladesh [24–27]. The Anti-Corruption Commission found that he had transferred around Tk 80 crore to Canada via money laundering. The investigation conducted by ACC Investigation Officer Md Salahuddin found that PK Halder had amassed approximately Tk 426 crore beyond his known sources of income. Halder gained prominence in 2019 as a leader in the movement against gambling establishments. In the years 2009–2019, he and his cohorts stole approximately Tk 1000 crore from four different banks [24–27]. Prashanta Kumar Halder, a former managing director of NRB Global Bank and Reliance Finance Limited, and 11 others were charged with embezzling Tk44 crore by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2020 [28, 29]. According to the complaint, the accused stole Tk 44 crore from FAS Finance and Investment Limited using fraudulent means while posing as Diya Shipping Limited, a fictitious company. The ACC claims that between 2009 and 2019, PK Halder stole and laundered approximately Tk 6500 crore from four leasing companies. After that, on May 14, 2022, PK Haldar and his attorney Sukumar were taken into custody in Ashoknagar, West Bengal, India [24–27]. Government of the people's republic of Bangladesh recently has requested to government of India for giving him back to Bangladesh to bring him by the book/to bring him under law.

#### **CASE 2: dishonest/immoral hospital business during COVID-19 pandemic**

After the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided the Uttara and Mirpur locations of Regent Hospital (a private hospital) over fraud hospital business, Chairman Mohammad Shahed (Shahed Karim) went into hiding. According to RAB's investigation, he was providing fake COVID-19 certificates and stealing from patients. Two cases involving the alleged theft of Tk3.68 crore were filed in a Dhaka court, and the bench warrant for Shahed's arrest was issued on the second day [30]. In the trial, it was claimed that between 2017 and 2020, Shahed stole around Tk 12 crore [31]. In addition, between 2017 and 2020, he stole Tk 7.9 crore from 10 to 12 different individuals and organizations. Shahed also forged the COVID-19 test, which cost him about Tk 3 crore, in the early part of that year. It is believed that Shahed laundered the funds through a network of 43 bank accounts he set up in the names of fictional businesses such as Regent Hospital, Regent KCS Limited, and 12 others. After the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed charges in a Dhaka court alleging that Mr. Shahed stole money and property illegally, the court ordered the trial to officially begin [24–27].

#### **CASE 3: big cheating with customers**

Mohammad Rassel, Evaly's founder, graduated from Dhaka University's Institute of Business Administration with an MBA (IBA). Initially in his career, he worked for Dhaka Bank. Upon leaving the bank, he went into business for himself, importing diapers under the "Kids" brand. When he was finished, he had Evaly all ready to go [32]. Evaly provides customers with a wide variety of attractive discounts, including "cash back" offers of up to 150%. Customers are drawn in by the discounts and make prepayments to Evaly for the merchandise. However, after waiting for a very long time and being repeatedly denied their request for a refund, they finally complained. Evaly received thousands of complaints because it took months for customers to receive their orders or their money back after the company took their money in advance for delivery within 45 days [7, 8, 33]. Allegedly, Tk 7–8 billion (700–800 crore) was stolen from the Evaly company [34]. Nearly Tk339 crore, or about \$70 million, was reported stolen from the e-commerce company's customers. The Ministry of Commerce has requested an investigation into allegations that the online marketplace Evaly stole Tk338.62 crore in prepayments for deals and discounts from its customers. Mohammad Rassel, MD, and Shamima Nasrin, Chairman and CEO of Evaly, were arrested by RAB on September 16, 2021 [35]. The company's liability was estimated to be around BDT 1 trillion at the time of the arrest, and there were 44 lakh customers registered with Evaly, according to a press briefing given by RAB the day after the arrest. Right now, the government is keeping an eye on Evaly's situation. Protests from angry customers demanding refunds began as soon as the couple was arrested from their shop, Evaly.

Besides these cases, there are uncounted number of incidents of corruption. Among them, Monir Hossain alias Golden Monir is significant to mention who was arrested along with a huge amount of money, arms, gold, and liquor worth of Tk 1050 Crore. In addition, Dr. Sabrina Arif Chowdhury, chairman of JKG Health Care and a NICVD registrar, was arrested for her alleged role in a COVID-19 testing scam (The Financial Express [36]. Additionally, the casino Samrat was also the talk of the town recently. Nonetheless, all the incidents are the examples of prevailing corruption in Bangladesh in which the Anti-Corruption Commission works to combat it.

*Curbing Corruptions in Government Sectors: The Role of Anti-Corruption Commission… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108623*
