Britain’s anti-corruption minister resigned on Tuesday amid a controversy over links to her aunt, ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Tulip Siddiq said that she was quitting as economic secretary to the Treasury, saying the issue was becoming “a distraction from the work of the government.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been under growing pressure to remove Siddiq from her post since she referred herself to the U.K. government’s ethics watchdog following reports that she lived in London properties linked to her aunt. Hasina was ousted last year after weeks of protests. Starmer said he was sad to see Siddiq go, adding that the independent adviser on ministerial interests, Laurie Magnus, “has assured me he found no breach of the Ministerial Code and no evidence of financial improprieties on your part.” Siddiq, who is responsible for tackling corruption in financial markets, was named last month in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh against Hasina. The investigation alleged that Siddiq’s family was involved in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh in which large sums of money were said to have been embezzled. Read: Tulip Siddiq questioned in UK over graft allegation  

Prosecutors in Taiwan indicted former presidential candidate and Taiwan People's Party founder Ko Wen-je on corruption charges Thursday, accusing him of taking bribes during his time as mayor of the island's capital. Ko, a former mayor of Taipei, is accused of accepting bribes related to a real estate development during his time in office, according to the prosecutors' statement. He's also accused of embezzling political donations. If convicted on all charges, he faces a possible 28.5 years in jail. Core to the case is a development owned by Core Pacific City group in Taipei. Prosecutors say Ko allowed the company to evade city building regulations in exchange for bribes. “The defendant, Ko, violated his vow as a mayor to not accept bribes, and abide by our national laws. Instead, Ko intended to help the group obtain billions of dollars in illegal benefits, while collecting millions in bribes,” said Kao Yi-shu, the lead prosecutor, while unveiling the charges Thursday. While Ko could not be reached, he has previously denied the allegations of bribery and corruption. His party said the charges were a case of political persecution. Read: Taiwan asks China to cease military activities in nearby waters "With this kind of abuse of power, the government is being reduced to a political thug,” said Lin Fu-nan, a member of the TPP’s central committee. “We call on the black hand of politics not to reach into the judiciary." Ko, a former doctor, burst onto the political scene to win Taipei's 2014 mayoral race. He served two terms from 2014 to 2022. Ko founded the TPP in 2019 as an alternative to the two-party system, promising a break from politics as usual. He ran for President this year. Despite finishing third, he attracted attention for his appeal to young voters. Taiwan's politics is mostly dominated by two main political parties, the Nationalist Party (Kuomingtang) and the Democratic Progressive Party. Read more: Taiwan President visits Hawaii Think Tank amid Chinese criticism Ko's Taiwan People's Party, while small, is allied with the Kuomingtang in Taiwan's legislature and helped it pass three laws last week that critics say have paralyzed the Constitutional Court and will weaken Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's ability to carry out his political agenda.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed six separate cases on Thursday against former health minister Zahid Maleque, his son Rahat Maleque, former state minister for post, telecommunication, and information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak and his wife, and former state minister for textiles and jute Mirza Azam and his wife, on various allegations. New ACC Commission imposes travel ban on 5 ex-MPs, families The ACC filed the cases with the Dhaka Integrated District Office, ACC spokesperson Aktarul Islam told UNB. Zahid faces accusations of amassing undeclared assets worth Tk 614,256,426, while his son Rahat Maleque is accused of acquiring assets worth Tk 114,984,161. Palak was charged with acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 87,347,042, and his wife Arifa Jasmine was accused of possessing assets worth Tk 95,893,433. ACC to start probe against ‘big fish’ soon: New Commissioner Mirza Azam was accused of acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 397,667,200, while his wife Dewan Aleya faces allegations of acquiring assets worth Tk 237,771,995.

The Transparency International (TIB) findings revealed in household surveys since 2010 show that from 2009 to April 2024, the included service sector institutions have collected an estimated total of Tk 146,252 crore in bribes. The households that paid bribes or unauthorized money for services from May 2023 to April 2024 spent an average of Tk 5,680 each. The total estimated bribes or unauthorized payments across all sectors during this period amounted to Tk10,902 crore, which is 1.44 percent of the national budget for 2023-24 and 0.22 percent of GDP. EuroCham launched, seen as new milestone in Bangladesh-EU business relations The passport, BRTA, law enforcement, judiciary, and land sectors were found to be the most corrupt in the service sector, with 70.9 percent of Bangladeshi households reporting corruption between May 2023 and April 2024. Furthermore, 50.8 percent of households experienced bribery at this time, with law enforcement, BRTA, and passport services having the highest percentages. TIB revealed these findings at a press conference unveiling the “Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey 2023” results. The survey of 2023 revealed that 70.9 percent of households in Bangladesh has experienced corruption in some form while availing services from various public and private sectors or institutions. Passport services 86 percent were identified as the most corrupt sector, followed by BRTA 85.2 percent, law enforcement agencies 74.5 percent, judicial services 62.3 percent, land services 51 percent, public healthcare 49.1 percent, and local government institutions 44.2 percent. Overall, 50.8 percent of households reported paying bribes or being forced to pay unauthorized money to access services. The highest incidences of bribery were reported in passport services 74.8 percent, BRTA 71.9 percent, law enforcement agencies 58.3 percent, judicial services 34.1 percent, land services 32.3 percent, and local government institutions 29.7 percent. Among the households that paid bribes, 77.2 percent cited the reason as “services cannot be obtained without paying a bribe,” highlighting a concerning institutionalization of bribery practices. Tensions between Bangladesh and India grow over attack on Agartala mission The survey collected data on corruption and harassment encountered by selected households while obtaining services from service sectors between May 2023 and April 2024. Data for this survey were collected between May 13 and August 3, 2024.  

Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, and Youth and Sports, has called for a swift and transparent implementation of development projects, urging officials to stop all forms of corruption and nepotism. Speaking at a progress review meeting of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the financial year 2024-2025, he emphasized that the timely and efficient completion of projects is critical for maintaining the trust of development partners and fulfilling public expectations. “We must ensure that all projects are implemented properly and without delay,” Asif Mahmud stated during the meeting, which was attended by senior officials from the ministry and key project directors. He highlighted that lengthy project schedules have caused disillusionment among development partners, leading to a loss of enthusiasm for future collaborations. The adviser underscored the importance of working in close coordination with development partners in case of unavoidable delays, while maintaining integrity and transparency throughout the project cycle. “All forms of corruption and nepotism must be stopped in project implementation,” he insisted. Out of the total 230 ongoing projects in 19 departments, 62 are funded by foreign development partners, while 168 projects are government-funded. The total budget allocation for these projects is Taka 3,580,888. Asif Mahmud also noted that delays in appointing consultants have been a significant obstacle to the timely execution of projects, particularly in sectors like road construction and culvert works. He emphasized the need for reforms to streamline the consultant appointment process, ensuring quicker decisions and minimizing delays. The adviser further reminded ministry officials of their duty to reflect the hopes and aspirations of the people in their work. “The blood of those who sacrificed for the creation of today’s Bangladesh should not go in vain. A new hope has been instilled in the people, and we must work to fulfill those hopes,” he said, urging all ministry staff to take their responsibilities seriously. The meeting was conducted by the Secretary of the Ministry, Md Nazrul Islam, and was attended by senior ministry officials, project directors, chief engineers, and executive engineers.  

In a meeting with the senior government officials, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday emphasised the importance of digitisation to fight corruption. The meeting focused on immediate actions for fast-track digital adoption. Key decisions taken in the meeting include making submission of tax via the e-return portal compulsory for all government officials in the greater Dhaka region and encouraging large corporations to adopt e-return across the organisation. The decision to launch a nationwide awareness campaign on digitisation was also taken in the meeting, while renewed focus was given on improving the investment environment by digitising NBR, the National Single Window project. Other decisions include ensuring interconnectivity of systems across government organisations by keeping an eye on the whole picture and full digitisation roadmap and execution timeline for land related public services, according to the Chief Adviser’s press wing. Yunus-led interim govt may induct some new faces this month: Sources Md Siraj Uddin Mia, principal secretary to the Chief Adviser, Md Abdur Rahman Khan, chairman, NBR, ASM Saleh Ahmed, senior secretary, ministry of land, Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, executive chairman, BIDA, and BEZA, were among those who attended the meeting.

The corruption rate from the government's allocation for the roads and highways sector was between 23 to 40 percent during the period of fiscal year FY 2009-10 to FY 2022-23. The government allocated Tk 169,449 crore for the Roads and Highways Department, of which 23-40 percent or equivalent to Tk 29,230 crore and Tk 50,835 crore was embezzled, said a report of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). The anti-graft watchdog published this report in the capital on Wednesday (October 9). Executive Director of TIB Dr Iftekharuzzaman said a syndicate involving politicians, bureaucrats and contractors were involved in corruption while implementing projects for public interest. These corruption was institutionalized from lower level to the highest level and around 40-43 percent of the money went missing in the bribery of Roads and Highways Department, he pointed out. "Now if we cannot break the tripartite syndicate, no anti-corruption programme will succeed," he said. Read: 'Cancellation of textbook review committee a risky compromise with radicals': TIB In response to a query Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, “We sought information about various projects of the Roads and Highways Department, we were denied a lot of information. Our expectation is that information is disclosed publicly, but the reality is that some people have been removed from the organisation but the institutional practices have not been changed yet.” Responding to another question, the Executive Director of TIB said, "Our research report is only about the projects under implementation with domestic financing. However, there were corruption in foreign-funded projects as well." According to the researchers, the projects completed between the FY2017-18 to FY2021-22 were included in the scope of this study (the implementation period of these projects is from FY2010-11 to FY2018-19). Read more: TIB urges reform of Information Commission, amendments to RTI Act  

Photos of former National Board of Revenue (NBR) official Matiur Rahman, recently at the center of corruption allegations, with Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder have gone viral on social media, sparking widespread discussion. One viral photo shows the two men in Ihram during the Hajj pilgrimage, while another captures Matiur greeting Rouf with a bouquet of flowers at the governor's office in the central bank. Read more: Matiur removed from NBR post after goat purchase scandal Matiur Rahman was appointed as a director of Sonali Bank on February 1, 2022. At that time, Abdur Rouf Talukder was serving as the finance secretary. Some media outlets have questioned the Bangladesh Bank governor through the central bank’s spokesperson, Mezbaul Haque. The inquiry focused on the governor’s comments regarding Matiur's appointment as a director of Sonali Bank during his tenure as finance secretary and the allegations of anonymous stock market investments through Matiur. Responding to the media, Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Mezbaul Haque conveyed the governor's statement, asserting that the allegations are not true. Read more: Ex-NBR member Matiur removed from Sonali Bank board

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today (June 02, 2024) said that authorities will proceed with corruption charges against former police chief Benazir Ahmed. Should he be found guilty, he will be compelled to return to Bangladesh, he said. Speaking at a press conference at the Awami League president’s office in Dhanmondi this afternoon, Quader emphasized the government’s firm stance against corruption, saying, “No leniency will be shown.” Quader, who is also the General Secretary of Awami League, detailed that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is actively investigating Benazir’s case. “The investigation, legal proceedings, and potential arrests are all part of a legal process,” he said. The government will not bypass the ACC to take any premature actions. If there are any failures within the anti-corruption agencies, they too will face scrutiny, said the AL leader. Fakhrul questions how Benazir “sneaked off to Singapore” Highlighting the current administration’s commitment to combating corruption, Quader remarked, “Since 1975, no other government has shown the courage to act against corrupt individuals. Sheikh Hasina’s government has demonstrated this bravery. While individuals may commit corruption, it is the government’s stance against such actions that matters.” Quader also criticized Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for its inaction against corruption during its tenure. “BNP didn’t take any measures against corruption while in power,” he said. Addressing allegations from BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir that Benazir fled abroad with government assistance, Quader retorted, “Who from the government escorted him to the plane? Which authority facilitated his departure? Do not throw around baseless accusations.” Govt bears responsibility for misdeeds of Aziz, Benazir: Fakhrul Quader also accused BNP of initiating a culture of financial misconduct. “The culture of money laundering and economic misappropriation began during the BNP’s era. When in power, BNP leaders indulged in rampant illegal earnings. This is an established fact both domestically and internationally. After coming to power in 2001, corruption became institutionalized under the BNP, leading to Bangladesh being named the most corrupt country five times consecutively. Convicted and fugitive BNP leader Tarique Rahman is currently leading a lavish lifestyle abroad with the illicit money.” Quader read from a written statement at the beginning of the press conference, asserting the integrity of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “No one can claim that our Prime Minister has engaged in or tolerated corruption. Sheikh Hasina is recognized globally as a thoroughly honest politician, whose popularity stems from her hard work and honest living.” He further criticized the BNP, saying, “BNP’s main leader Tarique Rahman is a convicted fugitive and a known criminal. A party led by such an individual cannot work for people’s welfare or gain their trust.” In response to a journalist’s question, Quader remarked, “BNP is ruled by the king of thieves.” Read more: Why Aziz, Benazir yet to be arrested, asks Manna

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday cautioned opposition leaders and activists against complacency regarding US sanctions on former Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed. Speaking at a discussion, he urged the BNP followers to focus on unseating the Awami League government through their own efforts rather than relying on others. “If I can't manage my own house, no one else will do it for me. Many may be happy over the sanctions on Aziz...I think it’s misleading and we’re always getting confused," Fakhrul said. He recalled that the US also imposed sanctions earlier on RAB and the officers of the elite force and the police but it could not stop the ‘terrible journey’ of the current regime. “We have to stand on our own feet, stand with our own strength and defeat them with our own strength,” he said. A faction of Jatiya Gonotantrik Party (Jagpa) arranged the programme at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) marking the seventh death anniversary of the party founder Shafiul Alam Prodhan. The US Department of State on Monday imposed sanctions on Aziz Ahmed and his immediate family members due to “his involvement in significant corruption". Fakhrul said BNP and the entire world have long been saying that the government has been deeply mired in corruption. "They deny it and claim they don’t indulge in corruption. Now, you see today's news that the US has imposed sanctions on former Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed along with his family." He said the reasons behind the sanctions on Aziz involve indulging in corruption, influencing democratic institutions, and eroding people's trust. "This is what we've been trying to say for a long time." The BNP leader accused the government of committing various misdeeds one after another by using the state machinery. He also alleged that the government has created a reign of terror and spread fear with its efforts to use the military, the judiciary and the administration. Even, the BNP leader said journalists now cannot write reports freely as they have to think carefully about every word they choose, fearing jail or lawsuits. “This is the current situation of the country." He said many times it is wrongly interpreted that the BNP wants to engage in ousting the government. "We want to get back the right to vote, and through that votes, we will defeat you (govt). All of us must be willing to make more sacrifices to have that right restored." Fakhrul called upon the opposition leaders and workers to be united further to take to the streets against the government. “There is no alternative to taking to the streets. We don’t know any other path. We must come forward openly and fight (against the govt)." Stating that BNP is not a radical or revolutionary party, he said their party, as a liberal democratic one, must create such an atmosphere where the government will not be able to block a free, fair and credible election.   "No one else will do that for us...we have to achieve that ourselves." We must be more united in demanding fair and impartial elections, and we must intensify the movement.” The BNP leader said their party has been working with its alliance partners to work out the strategy of their movement and strengthen their strength to get rid of the current monstrous regime.