Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has demanded formation of an independent commission to investigate the corruption, irregularities and plundering of wealth by the previous Awami League government in the country’s power and energy sector during the last 15 years. 

“In 2022 alone, some Tk 35,000 crore worth of corruption happened in the power and energy sector,” Prof M Shamsul Alam, energy advisor of the CAB, told reporters while addressing a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

There was corruption of Tk 17,000 crore in Rural Electrification Board (REB) and Tk 8,000 crore in purchasing furnace oil by the private power producers during a year, he added. 

CAB’s legal advisor barrister Jotirmoy Barua read out 11-point demands of the organisation which include returning the authority of fixing all kinds of energy prices to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), no upward price adjustment in the next three years, forming a search committee to appoint members of the BERC, removing top officials of the ministry from the board of directors of different state-owned power and energy companies.

Removal of top officials from the Power and Energy Ministry and their subordinate bodies as part of clean-up measures on corruption and disclosing the names of the people who were involved in the corruption and plundering of wealth in the power and energy sector are among the demands placed by the CAB.

Calling for publishing a white paper on corruption in the power and energy sector, M Shamsul Alam said the corrupt people must be put on trial.

Criticising the power advisor’s move for preparing a position paper on power and energy sector by the existing officials who helped the previous Awami League government in plundering wealth through corruption, he said this is a wrong measure that would foil the interim government’s good intention.

Suggesting the interim government to stay in power for the next three years, he said any such move will be like moving forward, keeping the garbage under the carpet.           

“There should be a package programme to clean up corruption and irregularities,” he said all the agreements with the private power producers including Indian Adani Group should be reviewed and then  decision needs to taken whether those should be cancelled or revised.

He said Adani and some other private power producers were given extra benefits through uneven agreements.

Other leaders of the CAB including Shamsul Huda, Nazer Hossain and Humayun Kabir Bhuiya were present at the press conference.