ACC interrogates 9 officials of RUET to investigate their involvement in corruption
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been interrogating nine officials from the Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET) for two consecutive days over allegations of corruption in a project to establish the Department of Glass and Ceramic Engineering.
On Wednesday, September 25, the ACC questioned Superintending Engineer (Electric) Amit Roy Chowdhury, Acting Comptroller Nazim Uddin Ahmed, Deputy Comptroller Faisal Arefin, Deputy Audit Officer Mesbaul Arefin, Senior Assistant Registrar Mukhtar Hossain, Abdur Raihan, and Atikur Rahman at the ACC's Rajshahi office. The interrogation was conducted by Amir Hossain, Assistant Director and Investigation Officer of the ACC's Integrated District Office in Rajshahi.
The previous day, Tuesday, September 24, Amir Hossain also interrogated Assistant Engineer Ahsan Habib and Superintending Engineer (Civil) Shahadat Hossain.
Earlier, on September 22, the ACC had issued a summons to the nine officials through a letter to the RUET Registrar. The investigation officer has also spoken to Professor Dr. Abdul Alim, the Project Director for the concerned project.
According to ACC sources, an investigation is underway into the alleged corruption of approximately BDT 130 million in the project to establish the Glass and Ceramic Engineering Department at RUET, which falls under the Ministry of Education's project titled "Creation of Infrastructure and Laboratory Facilities to Establish New Departments in Five Public Universities." The project, with a budget of BDT 261.1 million, commenced on July 1, 2009.
The project was initially set to be completed by June 30, 2014, but its deadline was extended to June 30, 2016. Over the course of the project, five different project directors were appointed, with Professor Abdul Alim of RUET's Civil Engineering Department serving as the final Project Director. During the project, Professor Alim also held the position of Director of RUET's Planning and Development Office.
Documents show that when the project’s official tenure ended on June 30, 2016, Professor Alim submitted a report to the University Grants Commission (UGC) on August 9, stating that the project had been completed and that the entire allocated budget of BDT 261.1 million had been utilized.
However, on the project’s closing day, June 30, 2016, there was still a balance of BDT 131.5 million in the project’s bank account. By March 1, 2017, the balance had reduced to BDT 75.6 million, and by June 30, 2020, only BDT 5 million remained in the account. UGC investigations have also revealed evidence of misappropriation of the remaining BDT 130 million.
On April 21, the ACC's headquarters approved an investigation into the matter, and an investigating officer was appointed. The officer has since interrogated the nine RUET officials regarding the allegations.
Nazim Uddin Ahmed, RUET's Acting Comptroller, confirmed that the ACC had summoned them regarding irregularities in the project, and he had attended the interrogation. He explained that the ACC was primarily investigating the roles each individual had played during the project's timeline, and he asserted that he had no involvement in any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Project Director Professor Abdul Alim stated that the remaining funds from the project are still in the bank and that he has already provided his statement to the ACC after being summoned.
