MPs’ debt at record high compared to last four parliaments: TIB

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has reported that the total declared debt of members elected to the 13th National Parliament stands at Tk 11,356 crore, the highest in the last four parliaments.

The findings were presented on Monday at a press conference at Midas Centre in the capital's Dhanmondi, during the release of TIB’s report titled “13th National Parliamentary Election Process and Affidavit-Based Observation.”

According to TIB, MPs in the 9th Parliament had a total debt of Tk 1,107 crore, which rose to Tk 3,624 crore in the 10th, Tk 6,423 crore in the 11th, and Tk 10,392 crore in the 12th Parliament.

The 13th Parliament surpasses all previous records at Tk 11,356 crore.

The report notes that nearly half of the MPs in the 13th Parliament are in debt. By party, 62.02 percent of BNP MPs and 15.94 percent of Jamaat-e-Islami MPs have declared liabilities.

Despite the record total debt, the proportion of indebted MPs has slightly decreased over time: 53.68 percent in the 9th, 56.01 percent in the 10th, 51.30 percent in the 11th, 52 percent in the 12th, and 49.83 percent in the 13th Parliament.