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Furnace Oil Scam

One suspended on dept probe

TIB wants independent investigation

DWAIPAYAN BARUA and Md Fazlur Rahman
One senior official of Padma Oil Company Ltd in Chittagong was suspended and three others were attached to the managing director's office yesterday in connection with the May 20 haul of furnace oil to the black market.
Shaheed Hosne Rabbee, assistant general manager of the company also convener of the three-member furnace oil sales
committee; Abu Hasnath Shahid, manager (direct business) also a member of the committee; and Kazi Mafizur Rahman, manager (direct business) also a former member of the committee, were attached to the managing director's office.
Manager (Marketing) Asif Malek, member secretary of the sales committee, was suspended.
MA Khair, managing director of Padma Oil, told The Daily Star that they took the departmental action on the basis of a report submitted by a probe body formed by the company.
Meanwhile, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said an investigation by an independent body is necessary along with the departmental probe.
"Since state interest is involved in the issue, a neutral investigation is necessary. Departmental probe is natural in irregularities in any department. But in most cases, such departmental probes cannot be freeofinfluences," he said.
Iftekharuzzaman proposed to involve the AntiCorruption Commission (ACC) in the matter.
Dr M Tamim, former special assistant on power, energy and mineral resources to the chief adviser of a caretaker government, stressed the need for finding out the real beneficiaries of the smuggling.
He said the real players of the huge crime were yet to be identified, they should be brought to light by thorough investigation.
"When the country's rental power plants are going out of operation due to lack of furnace oil, such stealing of the important fuel will have a big negative impact on the power sector," Tamim said.
The action of Padma Oil authorities came 11 days after Rapid Action Battalion seized 3.4 lakh litres of furnace oil that was heading for black market on May 20.
Padma Oil Managing Director Khair said the probe committee conducted an internal primary investigation and found some irregularities.
He however did not disclose the details of the report, but said more investigation would be held to find out whether the punished officials were involved in the May 20 oil smuggling.
He said the company would also serve showcause notices to the four officials asking them to explain why punitive measures should not be taken against them.
The departmental action against the four came in the evening following instruction from the higher level of the government, said an official of Bangladesh Petroleum
Corporation (BPC) that controls Padma Oil.
Following the May 20 incident, BPC asked Padma Oil to form an internal probe committee to investigate the incident, he said.
Yesterday the probe committee submitted a report, said the official who is close to the development, adding that they did not open the report yet. "We hope to open it on Sunday," he said, requesting anonymity.
He also said since Padma Oil is a subsidiary company of BPC, the latter also formed a separate enquiry committee.
Abu Hanif, general manager (marketing) of BPC, who is also a member of the BPC probe committee, said they hoped to submit a report by Monday.
Sources close to the BPC probe already told The Daily Star that the committee for sale of furnace oil in Padma Oil had been flouting BPC's instructions regarding approval for delivering the fuel to different companies.
The sales committee's non-adherence to the guidelines gave rise to a nexus of corruption in Padma Oil centring sale of furnace oil, said the sources.
The three-member sales committee did not take any permission from the managing director or any supervisor while approving applications from companies seeking furnace oil, thus engaging in irregularities, said a BPC official.
He said their probe would also look into the possible involvement of the managing director of Padma Oil in the irregularities.
"If the committee finds his involvement, his suspension will be recommended in our report," he added.
The energy ministry also formed a one-member probe committee comprising Joint Secretary AK Mohiuddin Ahmed to investigate corruption in Padma Oil.
He would be in the port city on Saturday and Sunday