All govt employees ordered to submit wealth statements
Wealth statement submission to be made mandatory for govt officials, says chief adviser
The government has asked all government employees to submit their wealth statements.
Senior Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration Dr Md Mokhlesur Rahman issued the directive today, said Mohammad Zakir Hossain, senior information officer of the ministry.
Detailed instructions on the deadline and procedure for submitting these wealth statements will be issued soon.
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On 25 August, Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus said advisers would soon disclose their wealth statements and that it would become mandatory for all public employees to submit their wealth statements to the government.
According to the Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1979, public officials are required to submit and disclose their wealth statements. However, this rule has not been consistently implemented.
The High Court has also issued directives for enforcing these rules, but progress has been slow.
During the tenure of the Awami League government, significant assets accumulated through misconduct and corruption by former IGP Benazir Ahmed and National Board of Revenue member Matiur Rahman, among others, were disclosed.
On 4 June, a meeting of secretaries discussed the issue.
Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain told reporters that the Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1979 would be revised, and a new regulation would be finalised. Also, the National Integrity Strategy 2012 would be revised.
Meanwhile, some government employees have expressed objections, stating that they already submit their wealth statements annually through income tax returns.
Under Sections 12 and 13 of the Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1979, officials are required to report the acquisition and sale of immovable property and submit their wealth statements.
They must also obtain government permission to buy or sell any property, including land, houses, or flats, and disclose the source of funds for such transactions.
The sale price of assets must be reported to ensure compliance with valuation standards.
There are allegations that some public employees do not report their actual assets in their income tax returns or hide assets under different names.
An additional form, IT 10B, is required for submitting wealth statements. There are three conditions under which the submission of a wealth statement is mandatory: if the total assets exceed Tk40 lakh, if one owns a vehicle, or if one possesses land, a house, or a flat in a city corporation area.
