State minister’s remarks appear to legitimise bribery as gifts: TIB

The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has strongly condemned remarks by the state minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives suggesting that engineers may accept gifts from contractors' profits after promptly clearing their bills, provided the quality of work is maintained.

The anti-graft watchdog has demanded an unconditional withdrawal of the remarks, a public apology from the minister and clarification of the government's position on the matter.

In a press release issued today (11 November), TIB said the remarks appeared to legitimise bribery under the guise of gifts and could encourage corruption in public procurement.

The state minister reportedly made the remarks on 10 November at the inauguration of a training programme for newly appointed assistant engineers of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).

TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman questioned whether the minister was effectively encouraging engineers to accept illicit payments from contractors in exchange for performing their official duties.

He said checking work quality, accepting completed projects and ensuring timely payment of bills in accordance with regulations were routine responsibilities of government engineers, for which they already received salaries and benefits from public funds.

"Advising newly appointed engineers, whose responsibility is to prevent irregularities in public procurement, to earn money outside the rules from contractors at the very outset of their careers is grossly irresponsible and a violation of the law," he said.

He warned that such remarks could legitimise demands for bribes at the field level and contribute to the wider spread of corruption.

If the minister's comments reflected the government's position, it should clarify the matter, he added.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman also challenged the minister to identify any law or regulation permitting engineers to receive personal benefits from contractors in return for performing their official duties.

Citing the Penal Code, he said Section 161 criminalises accepting gratification beyond legally authorised remuneration for performing official duties, while Section 165 provides for punishment for accepting valuable items from people connected to such duties.

He also referred to Rule 5 of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1979, which regulates the acceptance of gifts by government employees, and Paragraph 6(2) of Schedule 20 of the Public Procurement Rules, 2025, which permits certain low-value promotional items, such as diaries, calendars and pens bearing an organisation's logo, subject to a maximum value of Tk5,000 per item.

None of these provisions, he said, allows engineers to receive personal benefits from contractors' profits as a reward for carrying out their official responsibilities.

Highlighting the risk of conflicts of interest, the TIB executive director said accepting benefits from contractors could compromise engineers' impartiality in supervising projects and certifying bills, while undermining fair competition among contractors.

He warned that such practices could also spread to other government departments, potentially turning supposedly voluntary gifts into an informal condition for receiving public services.

The TIB chief also raised concerns over the minister's reference to advice from a senior secretary.

"If the senior secretary did indeed offer such advice, as described by the State Minister, serious questions arise about the secretary's professional integrity and ethical fitness to remain in office," he said.

TIB called on the government to seek a formal explanation from the minister, ensure his accountability and verify whether the senior secretary had actually given the advice. It also demanded appropriate legal action if the allegations were substantiated.

Drawing a parallel with an earlier controversy over a road transport and bridges minister's remarks describing extortion as a matter of negotiated transactions, Dr Iftekharuzzaman said corruption-enabling statements by senior government officials should be treated as warning signs.

He said such positions also contradicted the government's election manifesto.