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Licence of BD Sea Foods on hold

Star Business Report
The government has again suspended the licence of BD Sea Foods Ltd on charges of exporting to Europe using forged certificates and seal of the Department of Fisheries (DoF), a senior official of the fisheries and livestock ministry said yesterday.
The move came within a fortnight of DoF's withdrawal of the licence cancellation order against the seafood firm.
Insiders said the DoF seized the licence of BD Sea Foods for the second time based on instructions from the higher authority of the ministry, which has also suspended two officials of the DoF in connection with the withdrawal of the licence after a month.
' 'We think that there was a wrongdoing in withdrawal of the licence cancellation order. That's why, we have asked the DoF to restore the licence cancellation order against the company," said M Shamsul Kibria, joint secretary of the ministry.
The allegation of forgery against BD Sea Foods Ltd came as BD Foods' Chairman Badruddoza Chowdhury Momen and five other officials face investigation against their alleged involvement in smuggling over 50 kilograms of heroin to the UK in the guise of exporting vegetables and tiles.
Insiders said BD Sea Foods Ltd, a sister concern of BD Foods, exported fish to Europe by using forged certificate on fish quality, signature and seals of the DoF.
The falsification was unearthed after the DoF inquired into an allegation from importers in Europe received at the Bangladesh Embassy in Brussels.
On May 19, the DoF directed BD Sea Foods to stop 'fish processing and exports temporarily' for its alleged involvement in using fake documents for exporting to the
EU region, one of the major markets of the country's third biggest export earner frozen fish.
The DoF, in its first order of licence cancellation issued on May 19, said BD Sea Foods has violated rules by using fake certificates.
"The image of Bangladesh has been tarnished due to the use of forged papers for exporting to the EU," said the DoF, cancelling the licence of sea foods processor temporarily.
Later, on June 22, the oversight body for the fisheries sectorwithdrewthe cancellation order based on the appeal from the company made early that month.
The seafood processor regretted the misdeed and gave an undertaking that it would not be engaged in such activities in future.
By imposing a Tk 50,000 fine, the DoF revoked the order of temporary licence cancellation, although the ministry on June 13 directed the DoF to take legal action against the company, insiders said.
The move irked the ministry prompting it to direct the DoF to cancel the licence of BD Sea Foods again.
The ministry also ordered suspension of two officials in connection with their involvement in withdrawal of licence cancellation order and sought explanation from the acting director general of the DoF Md Mahbubur Rahman Khan on the issue.
When asked, Mahbubur Rahman said the DoF withdrew the licence cancellation order considering the appeal of the company. "But we have reinstated the cancellation order as higher authority finds the extent of penalty against the wrongdoing was not enough,'' he said.