Telecommunication Minister wants the controversial officer in his office, public administration’s objection

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Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam wants a controversial official of the rank of joint secretary in his ministry. For this, he gave semi-official letter (DO) to the Ministry of Public Administration. However, the Ministry of Public Administration is not responding to the corruption allegations against that official.

Sources related to public administration said that the official chosen by the minister is currently serving in an office under the Ministry of Education. He has been accused of financial irregularities and abuse of power in the past. These allegations are under investigation. He is not being posted in the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications due to specific allegations.

The name of the official who is in the face of allegations of corruption. Mahmud Hassan. He is currently working as Director (Planning and Development Division) in the Directorate of Technical Education.

Within a week of the formation of the new government, Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam sent a letter to Senior Secretary of Public Administration Ministry Ehsanul Haque on February 22 to appoint Mahmud Hasan in his ministry.

It is said in that semi-official letter, Mahmud Hasan, an officer of BCS 22 batch administration cadre, is a professional, honest and brave officer. During the previous autocratic Awami League government, he was denied promotion twice due to political considerations. He was also deprived during the previous government. At the same time, he was also a victim of professional jealousy.

After this letter, discussions were made in the secretariat. Officials are questioning the effort to bring an official to an important position, especially after allegations of corruption. They say that such an officer being given responsibility in a sensitive place like a minister’s office can send an uncomfortable message.

Responsible officials of the Ministry of Public Administration said that in the case of appointment to important posts, complaints against the concerned officer and his overall record are taken into consideration. In this context, the recommendation of the Minister is not being accepted. For this, even after one and a half months passed, the official was not posted in the concerned ministry.

On condition of anonymity, a senior public administration official told Prothom Alo that the entire matter of Mahmud Hasan’s irregularities has already been reported to the Post and Telecommunication Minister.

This reporter tried to contact Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam to talk about the matter but did not get his statement. The minister did not pick up the reporter’s phone. The minister did not respond even though he sent a message on WhatsApp highlighting the issue.

Sources in the Ministry of Public Administration said that allegations of irregularities and corruption were raised against Mahmud Hasan during the interim government. He was then Private Secretary (PS) to Social Welfare Ministry Advisor Sharmin Murshid. Sharmin Murshid issued a semi-official letter (DO) to the Ministry of Public Administration to remove Mahmud Hasan from the post of PS. There he highlighted various irregularities of Mahmud Hasan.

Sharmin Murshid told Prothom Alo on March 30, ‘The actions of my then PS Mahmud Hasan were embarrassing. Specific allegations of irregularities started coming in about him from different places. My APS also offers irregularities. I didn’t want such a corrupt official to be my PS.’

Sharmin Murshid also said, “Since taking charge of PS, he has been trying to get me to sign suspicious documents. The whole picture of the document was not conveyed to me.’

Calling Mahmud Hasan ‘totally corrupt’, Sharmin Murshid said, ‘The issue of his irregularities also comes up in the reports of three intelligence agencies. Later I became cautious. I had no choice but to send him away.

Mahmud Hasan got the charge of Private Secretary to Social Welfare Advisor on 22 August 2024. Within two months of his appointment, he was transferred to the Ministry of Water Resources.

An official of the Ministry of Public Administration said that the then Water Resources Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hassan did not agree to take Mahmud Hasan in his ministry. The Ministry of Public Administration was in a state of embarrassment then. Later that transfer order was canceled and he was transferred as Acting Managing Director of Rural Poverty Alleviation Foundation (PDBF) under Ministry of Local Government.

According to related sources, after going to PDBF, multi-dimensional irregularities and corruption allegations were raised against Mahmud Hasan there as well. The allegations against him submitted to the Ministry of Local Government include illegal appointments and transfers, recruitment-trading, corruption in the purchase of vehicles and buildings. The Department of Rural Development and Cooperatives has formed an inquiry committee to investigate the complaint.

When asked about this, the head of the committee, Additional Secretary of Rural Development and Cooperative Department, Pradeep Kumar Mohottam told Prothom Alo that an investigation of irregularities against Mahmud Hasan is going on in view of the complaint. The hearing has already taken place.

In the face of these allegations, Mahmud Hasan was removed from PDBF to the Directorate of Technical Education.

Mahmud Hasan completely denies the allegations raised by Sharmin Murshid. He claimed that he left the Ministry of Social Welfare voluntarily and not in the face of allegations.

Mahmud Hasan told Prothom Alo on April 5, “I was PS of the then advisor for about two months. What can I do in these two months? I am not aware of the fact that he gave a semi-official letter to the Ministry of Public Administration about my irregularities. I resigned from the post of PS on my own responsibility. There is no question of irregularity.

When asked about the irregularities in PDBF, Mahmud Hasan countered that he was a victim of conspiracy for preventing the irregularities.

“There was a syndicate that wanted to trade in recruits. Because of me, they couldn’t trade recruitment,’ said Mahmud Hasan.