ACC raids BPC over allegations of irregularities in gas cylinder sales
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is conducting a raid on Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) office over allegations of irregularities in the sale of government gas cylinders.
ACC Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam confirmed the matter to TBS today (6 May).
The raid comes amid allegations of embezzlement of a huge amount of money through irregularities in the sale of government cylinder gas – which costs Tk690, but is sold at higher prices or is completely unavailable in the market.
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An ACC team led by the agency's assistant directors Md Raju Ahmed and Tanjir Ahmed and Anwar Hossain is conducting the raid.
According to ACC officials, based on the records collected during the operation, the statements of relevant individuals, and the analysis of the statements of dealers and customers, it has been found that the BPC's subsidiary company, LP Gas Ltd, bottles approximately 13,000-14,000 tonnes of LPG gas annually into around 1.4 million cylinders. These are marketed through four companies: Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, and Asiatic. The retail price of each 12.5 kg LPG gas cylinder is set at Tk690. These cylinders are supplied to the market through registered dealers of the aforementioned four companies. However, these dealers allegedly illegally refill private cylinders through cross-filling from the government cylinders and sell them dishonestly at inflated prices of Tk1,400-1,500 per cylinder.
During the operation, the ACC team discovered that one dealer, using authorisations from 10-15 other dealers, was individually withdrawing the allocated gas and selling it at higher prices.
Upon overall evaluation, the team observed that government gas is being withdrawn and supplied using expired or fake licenses. This indicates gross negligence and a lack of oversight on the part of LP Gas Ltd, BPC, and the supplying companies.
In view of the initial information and evidence received that government gas is being embezzled by dishonestly selling it at higher prices, the ACC team will submit a full report on this irregularity and corruption for the commission's further decision.
