Corruption and Power of Matiur Defeat Badiur Rahman

I was listening to Sheikh Badiur Rahman on Desh Television discussing Matiur Rahman, President of the Customs, Excise, and VAT Appellate Tribunal of the National Board of Revenue (NBR). Badiur Rahman was the Chairman of the NBR during the army-backed caretaker government. He joined Bangladesh Bank as an 'Officer Class One' in 1976 and later moved to Cadre Service after passing the BCS examination. I remember seeing him at the house of my elder brother Mohiuddin Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During their conversation, I noticed that Badiur Rahman only ate puffed rice (muri).

As Chairman of the NBR, Badiur Rahman transferred the corrupt Matiur Rahman from Chittagong Port Customs to Rajshahi. Four members of the NBR warned Badiur Rahman not to challenge Matiur's power, but he did not heed their warnings. To prevent Matiur's transfer to Rajshahi, army officers, including the army chief Moin U Ahmed, began lobbying. However, Badiur Rahman stood firm and refused to listen to anyone's advocacy. As a result, he was transferred from the NBR and eventually resigned from his position in such a humiliating situation. This is how the honest, efficient, and uncompromising officer Badiur Rahman was defeated by the bribery, corruption, and power of his subordinate officer, Matiur Rahman.

The new chairman Mohammad Abdul Majeed re-instated Matiur from Rajshahi to Chittagong Port after joining NBR. Before joining Cadre Service, Abdul Majeed also worked in Bangladesh Bank. Earlier I wrote a column praising the caretaker government supported by the army to prevent corruption, I thought that bribes were taken from corrupt people during the caretaker government but there was less bribery and corruption at the field level. Syed Ashraf Ali, the former executive director of Bangladesh Bank disagreed with my idea and mentioned that, "Fakhruddin Ahmed was a contemporary of the same hall as me in the university. Illegitimate government has never been heard to have brought any good to any country.”

After hearing the words of Secretary Badiur Rahman, there's no way to doubt the veracity of Ashraf Ali sir's claims. However, it's worth noting that Matiur Rahman had connections not only with the military-backed caretaker government but also with Finance Ministers Shah AMS Kibria and M Saifur Rahman. Badiur Rahman mentioned that Matiur had easy access to their bedrooms.

Bribery and corruption seemed boundless. A popular slogan on social media captures this sentiment: "There is no difference between extorting money with a pistol and taking a bribe with a file." Since the country's independence, no head of government, except Bangabandhu, admitted corruption during their tenure. From 2001 to 2005, Bangladesh earned the dubious distinction of being the champion of corruption five times in a row, yet the BNP never acknowledged the corruption during their time in office.

While in power, the BNP threatened to shut down the corruption whistleblower, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). After Bangabandhu, the Awami League government also dismissed the TIB's reports, not admitting to corruption during their tenure. The TIB's reports on corruption have not only been denied but also challenged by all governments. By contesting the TIB's findings, every administration has indirectly condoned corruption. Meanwhile, officials and employees of various organizations have united to justify bribery and corruption.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has repeatedly accused the National Board of Revenue (NBR) of corruption in the Income Tax and Customs Departments. In response, the then NBR chairman, Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, countered the ACC's allegations with accusations of corruption within the ACC itself, effectively stalling the ACC's efforts.

When bribery and corruption are mentioned in the media, coalition protests often begin, leading to halted investigations. For instance, following allegations of corruption against former IGP Dr. Benazir Ahmed and former Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Asaduzzaman Mia, the Police Service Association requested greater caution in publishing reports about the police force. This stance was criticised by the editorial board as contrary to the principles of independent media and impartial journalism.

Similarly, journalists have faced backlash. When the Bangladesh Intelligence Unit requested information from various banks about the account transactions of 11 journalist leaders, six journalist organisations protested and demanded the withdrawal of the request for bank account details.

Sometimes, when Hefazat leaders are asked to verify income tax documents, the situation is handled quietly if the leaders are compliant. Recently, the general secretary of the Awami League accused systematic efforts to corrupt politicians. Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury Nasim, Member of Parliament for Feni-1, highlighted the need to amend the government's procurement policy (PPR) to curb corruption. He noted that corrupt individuals exploit loopholes in the procurement policy, buying products from specific suppliers at inflated prices and restricting competition by imposing unnecessary conditions in tenders.

Nasim cited an example where two MRI machines worth Tk 10 crore each were left in disrepair after being supplied to Khulna and Chittagong Medical Colleges. Such issues frequently plague government hospitals, yet there appears to be no effective remedy.

There is no cure. Matiur is not alone in the world of bribery and corruption. The garment owners' organization BGMEA has openly stated that if there were no harassment and bribery at Chittagong port customs, the salaries of garment workers could be increased. Customs officials demand bribes, change the HS code of products, and waste time under the pretext of data verification, re-verification, and selection, causing importers to incur significant losses. However, traders face counter-allegations of false product declarations and money laundering. Corrupt officials exploit this opportunity, as even honest businessmen prefer to pay bribes to avoid harassment.

Matiur Rahman is highly talented in his ways, much like the late politician Kazi Zafar. Just as Kazi Zafar theatrically cried with his hands on his chest after the death of Ershad Saheb's mother, Matiur also went to the grave and cried after the death of Finance Minister Saifur Rahman's wife.

Matiur has more qualities. In 2022, when Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah was the Secretary of the Financial Institutions Department, Matiur became a Director on the Board of Directors of Sonali Bank. Whoever facilitated Matiur's appointment to the board needs to have their wealth traced. While Matiur's assets are being accounted for, it's equally important to account for the assets of his patrons. Political corruption has severely damaged public administration in our country. The competition to mix halal with haram is particularly noticeable among the Muslims of Bangladesh.

In 1971, Rajiul Hasan Ranju, the special assistant to the special representative of the government in exile, Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, sent me a poem written about Matiur's sacrificial goat. The title of the poem is "Chagalta Itihasa Garilo" (The Goat Made History). The poem means, "What the ACC couldn't do, the goat did; this is how the goat made history."

This year, the sacrificial cows and goats truly made history. Matiur's son created a sensation by posing for a picture with a sacrificial goat worth Tk 15 lakh. But it wasn't just Matiur Rahman's goat—this year, many cows were worth lakhs of taka. The fleet of sacrifices this year didn't seem to lack middle-class workers. Now, it's almost possible to determine the legitimacy of the sacrificer's income by the size of the cow.

NBR executive heads may not have recognized Matiur, but the goat certainly did. Who gets the credit for the early discovery of Matiur Rahman's enormous wealth? The goat.

Author: Former Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank and former MD of Mint.