Auction of MPs' cars: Bids range from Tk1 lakh to Tk3 crore

Despite high expectations, a significant number of luxury vehicles imported duty-free by former members of parliament (MPs) failed to attract bidders in an auction conducted by the Chattogram Custom House. 

Among the 24 cars put up for auction, 10 did not receive a single bid, raising questions about the valuation and demand for these high-end vehicles. 

The highest bid, Tk3.10 crore, was placed for a Land Cruiser ZX originally valued at Tk9.67 crore, while the lowest bid was only Tk1 lakh. 

The auction process was initiated on Sunday (16 February) with the bidding box opened at 2pm. The Customs House had released the auction details today (17 February).

However, as per customs regulations, a car cannot be sold unless the bid meets at least 60% of the reserve price. Consequently, the customs authorities confirmed that the unsold cars would remain in their possession for now.

Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Auction Officer Md Shakib Hossain said, "As the bids did not meet the required 60% threshold, none of the former MPs' cars will be sold. The auction committee will determine the next course of action." 

A total of 28 bidders participated in the auction for cars belonging to 13 former MPs. Among them, the highest bid was placed for the vehicle of former Nilphamari-3 MP Md Saddam Hossain Pavel and former Khulna-3 MP SM Kamal Hossain. A bidder named SM Arif offered Tk3.10 crore against the fixed price of Tk9.67 crore.

Easy Services Limited placed the highest bid of Tk2.45 crore for the car of former Rangpur-1 MP Md Asaduzzaman. Faraz Abdur Rahim bid Tk2.10 crore for the vehicle of former Sunamganj-4 MP Mohammad Sadiq.

SA Trading submitted a bid of Tk5 lakh for the car of former Sirajganj-2 MP Jannat R Henry, while the lowest bid from Farzana Trading stood at Tk2 lakh.

Tarasima Apparels Limited bid Tk1.5 crore for Gaibandha-2 MP Shah Sarwar Kabir's car. LabAid Limited offered Tk2.6 crore for the car of former Bogra-5 MP Md Mujibur Rahman Manjur. A bid of Tk2.2 crore was placed for the car of former Jessore-2 MP Md Touhiduzzaman.

Al Jazeera Trading bid Tk5 lakh for the vehicle of former Mymensingh-7 MP ABM Anisuzzaman. KDS Garments bid Tk30 lakh for former Netrakona-4 MP Sajjadul Hasan's car. SA Trading offered Tk50 lakh for the car of former women's constituency MP Tarana Halim. KDS Garments also bid Tk30 lakh for the vehicle of former women's constituency MP Shammi Ahmed.

No bids for several cars

No bids were received for the cars of the following MPs - SA K Ekramuzzaman (Brahmanbaria-1), Md Abul Kalam Azad (Jamalpur-5), Sayyaz Sajeda Chowdhury (Faridpur-2), Md. Abdul Wahed (Mymensingh-11), Abdul Motaleb (Chittagong-15), Sanjida Khanam (Women's Constituency), Md Ali Arafat (Dhaka-7), Surendranath Chakraborty (Naogaon-3), Md. Saiful Islam (Dhaka-19), Runu Reza (Women's Constituency)

The vehicles became subject to auction after their clearance was stalled following the end of the Awami League government on 5 August. On 21 August, Chattogram Customs sought guidance from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) regarding the clearance of these vehicles. 

In response, the NBR instructed that the cars could only be released if normal customs duties were paid. Importers were given a 15-day deadline to comply, which passed without action, leading to the decision to auction the vehicles.