Dhaka: Energy affairs adviser Dr Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan today announced that a national review committee has identified 'massive irregularities' in power deals, including those with foreign companies, executed by the previous regime under the Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply (Special Provision) Act 2010. 'Although the law was intended as a temporary measure, it became a recurring mechanism, opening the door to repeated misuse and lack of transparency,' Khan stated to reporters after receiving the report from the National Review Committee, which was led by a retired High Court judge.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the interim government decided in 2024 to cease utilizing this act due to escalating concerns over these irregularities. Retired High Court Division judge Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury, who chaired the committee, mentioned that they have submitted an 'interim report' to the adviser and plan to provide the final report in January. Chowdhury remarked that the committee uncovered 'massive governance failure' and 'massive corruption' in the energy sector, particularly highlighting gross irregularities in the signing of quick rental deals.
The review of power purchase agreements revealed significant corruption, collusion, fraud, irregularities, and illegalities, Chowdhury added, noting that the committee has also prepared a separate report concerning a power purchase deal with India's Adani group. The committee took over a year to submit its interim report due to the complexities of the deals, and they expect to finalize and submit the report by January next year.
A committee member specifically referred to contracts with the Adani group, indicating that agreements with foreign companies involve legal complexities that make it challenging to unilaterally terminate the deals without following necessary procedures to avoid severe penalties. 'But we believe, you will get strong evidence of corruption when a legal process will begin at home and abroad against Adani and a few other companies related to Adani involved in these corruptions,' he stated.
During the press conference, it was revealed that while electricity generation increased 4.4 times, the payment escalated 11.1 times between the fiscal years 2011 and 2024. The committee includes five other members: Professor Abdul Hasib Chowdhury from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of BUET, Fellow Chartered Accountant and Former CEO of KPMG Bangladesh Ali Ashfaq, economist Dr Zahid Hossain, Professor Mushtaq Ahmed of SOAS, University of London, and Jurist Dr Swadhin Malik.