ACC files case against 6 BTRC officials

Anti-Corruprion Commission.

Dhaka, Dec 3 — The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Wednesday filed a case against six former senior officials of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), including its former chairman Sunil Kanti Bose, for allegedly causing a financial loss of Tk 9,010 crore to the government through criminal breach of trust and abuse of power.

The accused are former BTRC chairman Sunil Kanti Bose, former vice-chairman Brig Gen (retd) Md Ahsan Habib Khan, former chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood, former commissioner Md Jahurul Haque, Md Rezaul Kader and Md Aminul Hasan.

ACC officials said the accused, while serving at BTRC between October 2015 and January 2018, violated relevant laws, guidelines and government instructions by continuing an “experimental” facility without approval from the authorities. The move allegedly caused significant revenue losses to the state while benefiting themselves or International Gateway (IGW) operators financially.

Investigators found that during a one-year experimental phase — from September 18, 2014 to September 30, 2015 — the international incoming call termination rate was set at USD 0.015 per minute instead of the approved USD 0.03. The government’s revenue share was reduced from 51.75% to 40%, while IGW operators’ share was increased from 13.25% to 20%.

Although the experimental period expired, the accused unlawfully continued the facility for 28 more months (October 2015 to January 2018).

As a result, the government incurred the following losses: Revenue share disparity: Tk 383.73 crore, lower call rate loss:Tk 2,941.99 crore, Loss of foreign currency earnings:Tk 5,685.01 crore (equivalent to USD 72.10 million)

In total, the government suffered an estimated loss of Tk 9,010.74 crore.

The ACC filed the case under Sections 409/418 of the Penal Code, Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012. - UNB