ACC files case against former director general of posts, deputy postmaster general

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against the former director general of the Postal Department, Sudhanshu Shekhor Bhadra, and Deputy Postmaster General and Assistant Project Director Moshtak Ahmed, for alleged misuse of funds under the "Post e-Center for Rural Community" project.

The case was filed today (20 August) by ACC Assistant Director Md Abul Kalam Azad.

According to the FIR, the accused, in collusion with each other, are charged with the criminal breach of trust by misusing government power and violating the Government Budget and Financial Management Act, 2009.

The FIR states that they allocated Tk15,11,42,000 for purchasing 500 HEP Servers & UPS units, which were never utilised, thereby committing an offense punishable under sections 409/109 of the Penal Code and section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.

The ACC's investigation revealed, based on records, ministry reports, and witness statements, that the Postal Department, under the "Post e-Center for Rural Community" project, purchased 500 HPE Server ML30 units and Winner Brand UPS units through a contract with the state-owned Telephone Shilpa Sangstha (TSS).

These were distributed to post offices at the district and upazila levels. However, the project faced allegations of mismanagement and fund embezzlement, leading to the formation of a three-member investigation team headed by Additional Secretary Md Mohibur Rahman from the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology.

The investigation team found that some of the equipment was delivered nearly two years after the project concluded in June 2017.

The HPE Servers and UPS units supplied by TSS were found unused in various offices, with local officials reporting that they were never trained on how to operate the equipment. As a result, the machines remained untouched, some even still in their packaging.

Further inspection revealed that the project authorities did not provide any guidelines on how the equipment should be used. Although Tk699.60 lakh was allocated for training under the project, no training was provided for the operation of these machines.

While there is documentary evidence of the purchases made under the project, no steps were taken to operationalise the equipment, leading to the conclusion that the responsible officials, Sudhanshu Shekhor Bhadra and Moshtak Ahmed, committed offenses by failing to prepare skilled personnel to operate the servers and misusing government funds.