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Matin forced officials to commit irregularities

JS sub-committee told

Staff Correspondent
Former shipping secretary and other officials concerned yesterday alleged that shipping adviser of the caretaker government Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin forced them to commit various irregularities including the awarding of container handling deal to a company ignoring tender rules, and raising the age limit of shipping pilots.
The allegations were made before the parliamentary subcommittee probing corruption charges against the former adviser, chief of the House body Shah Alam told TheJDaily Star.
Sheikh Motahar Hossain, the then shipping secretary and now a member of the Privatisation Commission, acting Shipping Secretary Masud Elahi, Sharif Mohammad Masud, senior
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assistant secretary of shipping ministry and Omar Farukh, assistant traffic control officer of Chittagong port made the allegations.
Shah Alam said the officials told the sub-committee that the then adviser Matin had put pressure on them to award the contract for container handling to Ishak Brothers, and increase the age limit of shipping pilots.
He also said Chairman of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Reazuddin Ahmed had allegedly sent port officials to Dhaka by air asking them to go to the Secretariat for completing the tender procedure on the same day.
The parliamentary body was told by Masud Elahi that the then adviser had unilaterally increased the age limit of shipping pilots to 60 from 57, ignoring government service rules.
Masud, who had handled this issue at that time in the shipping ministry, sought pardon saying they had no alternative but to do the job under pressure from the adviser.
“The officials who flew to Dhaka from Chittagong were not entitled to enjoy this
facility. But they were given the facility’ for completing the tender procedure hurriedly," Shah Alam said.
He mentioned that the tender procedure was completed on January 5 as the Awami League-led government assumed office on January 6.
The House body chief quoted Sharif Mohammad Masum, who had drafted the tender documents, as saying. "We were unable to leave office until we completed the task. We faced tremendous pressure from the high-ups.”
Shah Alam said the CPA chairman was asked about his alleged involvement in the irregularities. "But he (chairman) could not give any satisfactory explanation. He just told the subcommittee that he would submit necessary documents to it.”
The House body asked the shipping ministry to collect from the port authorities documents relating to the matter
The sub-committee was formed by the parliamentary standingcommittee to probe the allegations against Matin. He denied the allegations.