- Four inquiry committees in recruitment scams in 5 years
- Relatives & incompetents taking various positions
- Officials unethical collusion during appointment
Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration & Production Company Ltd (BAPEX) has been accused of nepotism and hiring unskilled workers by ignoring the directives of the ministry. Besides, in the last few years, the state-owned institution has appointed a large number of employees without education certificates. Supreme Court lawyer Barrister ABM Siddiqur Rahman Khan sent a notice (Notice Demanding Justice) to 13 people, including the former managing director of Bapex, seeking justice for these appointments. BAPEX did not consider that notice. Anti-Corruption Commission has completed investigations against, the PD (Project Director) of BAPEX Rupkalpo-3, PD of Three Dimensional Seismic Survey Project, PD of Two Dimensional Seismic Survey, Project Director of Rupkalpo-1, Project Director of Rupkalpo-2, Project Director of Rupkalpo-4 The, against the Project Director, the Project Director of Three Dimensional Seismic Survey (Block 3B, 6B and 7) and the Project Director regarding the purchase of geological survey equipment. Several allegations against the PD of Rupkalpa-5 and PD of Rupkalpa-9 were also found to be true among the managers. Initially, the allegations of corruption against 10 officers and employees of BAPEX were found to be true. Most of them were working as Directors (PD) of important and major projects of BAPEX.
At that time, in various ways, they found evidence of getting the same company to work repeatedly without tender through money laundering and bribery. Apart from this, there are allegations of gross irregularities and corruption in recruitment and permanent employment.
Some of them had appointed a large number of officers and employees without the necessary education certificates in violation of the recruitment rules. There are also allegations that there was a large amount of money traded in these appointments.
This time, various types of irregularities are being resorted to from the beginning of the recruitment and job stabilization process of 54 people in various positions of Bapex. Among them, there is an ongoing process to exclude eligible people due to various reasons including ignoring the instructions of the ministry, the predominance of fake experience certificate holders, and the excuse of district quota. To get extra benefits in irregularities, preference is being given to the pets and relatives of Bapex influencers in the selection of candidates. This information is known from the relevant ministry and BAPEX sources. The employees of the organization have raised allegations of irregularities in the appointment of 54 people. It has been said from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division that priority should be given to the experienced from the temporary workforce and then the rest should be appointed. But complaints have been raised that the recruitment wing of BAPEX is not following this instruction. Before this, in the last 5 years there have been irregularities and corruption in 4 rounds of recruitment. There are clear instructions from the ministry, high court and regulatory body Petrobangla regarding the permanentization of posts. In this case, it is asked to give priority to those who are skilled and experienced among the revenue officers in every appointment. But every time this directive is given a dam care by the concerned people.
Relatives of senior officials of the organization and incompetents are getting the opposite appointment. Because, new appointment or permanence means collusion of various kinds of unethical matters. An inquiry committee is formed every time after such an incident. The investigation report against the accused was also submitted. But the investigation report disappeared after a few days. According to sources, in 5 years, 4 investigation committees were formed in BAPEX only on the recruitment scam. There have been several cases. A contempt of court case is still ongoing. Allegations of recruitment irregularities have been proven in 4 inquiry committee reports. Action against the accused has been mentioned in all the investigation reports. A report recommended penalties, departmental cases, audits and even refunds of all salaries received by the recruits. But that report also did not see the hope of day in the end. No action has been taken so far against any of the accused - those who recruited and those who were recruited. According to Petrobangla sources, there were allegations of irregularities in the recruitment and permanent employment of 142 workers in 2005, 6 workers in 2018, 85 workers in 2019 and 33 workers in 2022. An inquiry committee was formed after each complaint. A case has been filed in the high court. Contempt of court cases are also ongoing against many of the accused officials. Even in the recent appointment of 54 people, according to the instructions of the Ministry, the matter of taking priority from temporary employees is not being taken into consideration.
Meanwhile, in 2021, more than 500 people including 85 people were appointed temporarily after violating the recruitment rules, and they were made permanent. Where hundreds of people have been accused of major irregularities. This information has been found by analyzing the report of the investigation committee and the complaints submitted to the authorities at different times.
It is known that corruption in recruitment started with the recruitment of 142 officials. Apart from this, there have been allegations of major scams in making 85 temporary employees permanent. Meanwhile, a group of employees has written to the chairman of Petrobangla and the managing director of Bapex to investigate the said complaint.
When asked about the related matter, Bapex Managing Director Mo Shoaib said that any kind of corruption will not be tolerated. The current complaints are old, not during his tenure. He said that if there are any allegations of irregularities after his joining, they will be identified and action will be taken.
ARS
