A complaint submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has accused a senior official of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of abusing his official position, manipulating public procurement, taking commissions from contractors and accumulating substantial wealth allegedly beyond his known sources of income.
The complaint names Sharif Md Jamal Uddin, popularly known as “Alok”, a superintending engineer of LGED, and contains allegations of financial and administrative irregularities during his postings in Barisal and at LGED headquarters in Dhaka.
According to the complaint, Jamal Uddin allegedly built a network of contractors and intermediaries to influence the award and implementation of lucrative infrastructure projects and collect commissions from them.
The complainant has urged the ACC to investigate his assets, bank transactions, project-related financial records and alleged links with contractors and other LGED officials.
Alleged manipulation of coastal bridge projects
One of the major allegations concerns the reconstruction and rehabilitation of coastal iron bridges under LGED.
The complaint alleges that project specifications required hot-dip zinc galvanisation of 196 iron bridges to protect them from corrosion in coastal and saline environments.
Instead, according to the complaint, ordinary low-cost paint was allegedly used on some structures, while contractors were paid as though the bridges had been galvanised in accordance with the approved specifications.
The complaint specifically refers to procurement packages NG-IBRP/BARI/HIZ/REHAB/BRG-94 and BRG-95 and alleges that the practice caused substantial financial losses to the government.
The allegations would require verification through technical inspections, measurement books, bills, work-completion certificates, procurement files and payment records.
Packages allegedly approved outside DPP
The ACC complaint also alleges that several development packages were approved outside the scope of the approved Development Project Proforma (DPP) without the required authorisation from the Head of Procuring Entity (HOPE).
The packages cited in the complaint include BRG-10, BRG-11 and BRG-12 in Rajapur upazila, BRG-12 in Nalchhiti upazila, and BRG-5 and BRG-6 in Barguna Sadar upazila.
The complainant has asked the ACC to examine whether the approvals complied with public procurement rules and the project's approved DPP.
Allegations over project authority
Jamal Uddin was appointed project director of the Southern Country Iron Bridge Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project in 2024.
The complaint alleges that he continued to exercise project-related authority even after his promotion to superintending engineer and despite subsequent administrative changes.
It further alleges that project files and records were not properly handed over, allegedly limiting institutional scrutiny of project activities.
The complainant has called for an examination of the relevant office orders, handover records and project files to determine whether Jamal Uddin exceeded his lawful authority.
Alleged accumulation of wealth
The complaint also raises questions about Jamal Uddin's alleged acquisition of property and business interests during his career in government service.
According to the complaint, he allegedly purchased prime commercial land in Chawkbazar, Barisal, near the former Nupur Cinema Hall, in his father's name and subsequently constructed a five-storey commercial building there.
It further alleges that he constructed another five-storey residential building near Barisal Sadar Girls School, where he lives with his family.
The complaint also refers to alleged investments in an automobile showroom and a commercial car garage, as well as a luxury residence in Babuganj.
The complainant has requested the ACC to verify the ownership of the properties, their purchase and construction costs, sources of funds and whether the assets were properly declared in Jamal Uddin's wealth statements.
Alleged contractor network
The complaint names several individuals allegedly connected to Jamal Uddin in relation to the collection and handling of commissions, including his brother-in-law, identified as Lavlu, and some LGED officials working at the upazila level in Barisal.
It alleges that the network was used to maintain communication with contractors and facilitate the collection of illicit payments.
The ACC would need to examine financial transactions, telephone records, procurement documents and statements of contractors and officials to establish the veracity of these allegations.
RTI requests allegedly ignored
The complaint also alleges that Jamal Uddin failed to respond to information requests submitted by journalists under Section 8(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2009.
It further alleges that he had claimed to be beyond the reach of ACC investigations.
Such claims, if made, could also be verified through the relevant RTI applications, correspondence and official records.
Calls for ACC investigation
The complainant has called for a comprehensive ACC investigation into Jamal Uddin's alleged involvement in procurement irregularities, his sources of wealth and his dealings with contractors.
It has also sought scrutiny of the projects under his supervision, a technical and financial audit of the allegedly affected bridge packages, and action under the relevant anti-corruption and public procurement laws if the allegations are substantiated.
