Dhaka: The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against six individuals, including former chairmen and commissioners of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), for allegedly causing a financial loss of Tk 9,010 crore to the government. The accused include former chairmen Sunil Kanti Bose and Dr. Shahjahan Mahmud, former vice chairman Brig Gen (Retd) Md Ahsan Habib Khan, and former commissioners Md Jahurul Haque, Md Rezaul Kader, and Md Aminul Hasan.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the case has been filed 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. The case details reveal that the accused allegedly abused their official powers, committed criminal breach of trust, and provided unlawful financial benefits to others at the expense of the government.
The information was confirmed by Md. Akhtarul Islam, Deputy Director of the Public Relations Department at the ACC head office. The complaint states that the accused officials, while in office between October 2015 and January 2018, illegally continued the experimental call termination rate and revenue-sharing structure for international gateway operators without government approval, causing significant revenue losses to the state.
From September 18, 2014, to September 30, 2015, the experimental call termination rate was set at US$0.03 per minute. However, the accused allegedly extended the rate at US$0.015 per minute for an additional 28 months, violating regulations. During this period, the government's revenue-sharing portion was maintained at 40% instead of the approved 51.75%, while the share of OAD operators was kept at 20% instead of 13.25%.
The complaint outlines losses in three phases due to these decisions. Approximately Tk 383.74 crore was lost due to changes in the revenue-sharing rate, while around Tk 2,942 crore was lost because of the reduced international call termination rate. Additionally, over Tk 5,685 crore in foreign income was lost as foreign currency was not brought into the country at the mandated rate.