Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed concern and outrage over graft and anomalies in the public procurement in the name of establishing a temporary lab before starting infrastructure work of a public medical research centre project.
In a statement on Sunday, TIB also urged the Ministry of Health to hold accountable those responsible and involved over the irregularities and to take effective measures to ensure transparency in the entire project in establishing Bangamata National Cellular and Molecular Research Center (BNCMRC).
“A bad precedent has been created to give the work to a particular company at exorbitant rates through a tender as well as exerting influence in the project without complying with the prevailing rules of government procurement as a naked example of corruption in the public procurement process,” the anti-graft watchdog agency pointed out.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of the TIB, said in the statement that it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is a ploy to squander government money in the name of setting up a temporary lab as Tk 500 million (50 crore) worth of procurement has been arranged in an opaque tender process.
“This is also a wrongdoing and unlawful act to give the work to a preferred foreign company at a higher price in the inappropriate tender process,” he claimed.
“It is even more frustrating that the way the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) chairman had supported this illegal process of violating government procurement rules and was embroiled in a tussle with the health ministry is by no means desirable,” he added.
