14 NBR officials suspended for 'openly tearing up transfer letters'
They allegedly tore up official orders publicly which, NBR terms an act of blatant violation of service discipline
The interim government has suspended 14 officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), including NBR Reform Unity Council President Hasan Mohammad Tarek Rekabdar, for "defying transfer orders and allegedly tearing up their transfer orders in public".
Additionally, 11 commissioners have been transferred, with several posted to what insiders describe as "punishment postings"—positions perceived as less significant within the department.
In separate notifications issued today (15 July), the suspensions were made effective immediately.
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The latest action follows the forced retirement of four senior officials amid a recent internal movement within the NBR.
In total, 17 officials have now been suspended, while the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched investigations into 16 others. Sources in the finance ministry and the NBR indicate that at least 10 more officials could face similar action.
The official suspension notice stated: "Due to defiant behaviour such as openly tearing up transfer orders in an act of blatant violation of service discipline, and for supporting those who disobeyed such orders, NBR has decided to initiate departmental proceedings against them."
Officials who suspended include:
Joint Tax Commissioners Masuma Khatun, Murad Ahmed, Mohammad Morshed Uddin Khan, Monalisa Shahreen Sushmita, Ashraful Alam Pradhan and Shihabul Islam, deputy tax commissioners Nusrat Jahan Shomy and Towhid Hasan Shakil, additional commissioner of tax Mirza Ashiq Rana, deputy commissioners Mohammad Shahadat Jamil, Sifat-E-Mariyam, revenue officers Shafiul Bashar, and Sabuj Mia.
Earlier, five top officials—including four NBR members—were sent into forced retirement. The commissioner of Chattogram Custom House was also suspended.
With disciplinary action intensifying, a sense of unease and uncertainty now looms large over the revenue agency.
Md Lutfor Rahman, a former NBR member who served for over three decades, told The Business Standard, "In my long career, I have never seen so many officials suspended at once, nor have I heard of such an instance in the past."
However, some suspended officials have pushed back against the allegations. Speaking anonymously to The Business Standard, one official said, "The allegation of tearing up the office order has been misrepresented. No official order was torn—rather, a blank sheet of paper was symbolically torn in protest. Moreover, the officers did not defy their transfer order; they have already reported to their newly assigned posts."
He further questioned the timing of the suspensions, saying, "On Monday, during the revenue meeting, the NBR chairman urged all officers to put past issues behind and focus on their duties. Yet just days later, he issued suspension orders."
Another protesting officer mentioned that a Deputy Commissioner recently suffered a heart attack amid the ongoing pressure, although no disciplinary action has been taken against him.
The NBR unrest
The protest by NBR officials began after the government issued an ordinance on 12 May dissolving the NBR and the Internal Resources Division, replacing them with the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division.
NBR officials allege that the ordinance was a strategic move to shift the authority of the revenue department under the control of the administration cadre.
