Officials of Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL), a concern of staterun Petrobangla, had misappropriated petroleum products worth Tk 18.54 crore through manipulating logbooks, tampering with metres and other ways during the years between 2002 and 2007.

Sources said the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) recently detected such large-scale irregularities in the RPGCL, which produces liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by processing locally available natural gas liquid (NGL).

The memo of evidence (proposed charge sheet) submitted by the investigation

officer (10) of the much-talked, corruption case is now awaiting approval of the ACC director.

When contacted, ACC Director of Syihet Division Majorlfrhin Md Masud toldThe Daily Star that the}' are checking the memo of evidence of the case and other documents.

ACC Assistant Director in Habiganj Md Abdul Mazed, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, in his proposed charge sheet submitted to the director stated that at least six officials with the connivance of each other during their service to the RPGCL had misappropriated petrol *and LPG worth Tk 18,54,59,734 through manipulating logbooks, tampering with metres and other docu-

ments of the plant during the period from June 2002 to July 2007. High-ups of the staterun company also ignored such irregularities even after getting specific allegations.

The accused officials involved in such massive irregularities include former Deputy Manager Jasim Uddin Chowdhury (left the job years ago and now staying abroad). Deputy Manager Md Zahidul Islam (former marketing officer of fractionation plant), former manager and in-charge of Kailashtila LPG fractionation plant Engineer Shuvo Barua (presently manager. CNG workshop, RPGCL, Dhaka), Deputy Manager (production) of fractionation plant Sheikh Md Kamal Uddin

and former Deputy Manager (marketing) AKM Shafiqur Rahman and General Manager (Planning) Md Abdul KhalequeKhan.

However, the IO in his memo of evidence suggested dropping the name of former deputy Manager (marketing) AKM Shafiqur Rahman from the proposed charge sheet as the person had served the company for only 15 days during the five-year scam.

The case in brief is that the then ACC chairman on July 30, 2007 ordered the director, Syihet divisional ACC office for investigation into the written complaint filed by RPGCL Deputy Manager AKM Shamim against a number of his fellows and senior officials on charge of misappropriation. ACC Assistant Director Abdul Mazed laterenquiredaboutthematter.

As the ACC assistant director found the allegation true after preliminary enquiry, the ACC head office asked him to file specific case. Accordingly, Md Ahdul Mazed filed the case with Golapganj Police Station on March 9,2009.

On getting some specific complaints about the matter, the then managing director of RPGCL Ekramul Haque Chowdhury on September 24,

2003 ordered for sending logbooks, metre reading and concerned reports to him within two weeks. Accordingly, the then fractionation plant in-charge Shuvo Barua formed a four-member committee, which detected huge irregularities in production and sale reports. But the then acting general manager, NGL Abdul Khaleque Khan reportedly stopped sending the reports as the managing director was transferred shortly.

The RPGCL's metre reading and logbooks showed that they had received additional 15,76,356 litres NGL. By processing such amount of NGL, the RPGCL produced 9,57,352 litres MS (petrol) worth Tk 2,83,61,253 and 347.429 tonnes of LPG worth Tk 75,08,996. Thus they had misappropriated an amount ofTk 3,58,70,250.

Besides, the accused officials had misappropriated another 36,02,300 litres of MS (petrol) worth Tk 11,08,86,234 and 1,759 tonnes of LPG worth Tk 3,87,03,249 during the same period.

The accused officials also had sold out the said petroleum items, the investigation officer (IO) stated on his memo of evidence.