DHAKA: Milk Vita, Bangladesh milk producing cooperative union limited, is now infested with massive corruption and endless irregularities.

Due to the irregularities and arbitrary activities of a powerful syndicate, this institution founded in 1973, has become a breeding ground of corruption.

Unbounded corruption is now rampant in production, purchase of machineries and in appointing manpower.

This corruption information has been dug out by the anti-graft watch dog Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Procurement of chemicals worth huge amount of money without tender, payment of same bill twice, embezzlement of money in the name of giving advance to the staff, showing exorbitant expenditure in transport sector, and expenditure beyond the budget limit were some of the major corruption as dug out by the ACC.

In audit report of last March, 91 heads were identified as irregular. Recently ACC has taken that audit report into cognizance and decided to investigate it.

During last 40 years though irregularities of Tk 26 crore was shown in the report, it will be multiplied as ACC thinks.

ACC has started investigation in the current week against the chairman of the management committee of Milk Vita Hasib Khan Tarun.

The anti-graft body has reposed the responsibility of investigation against the chairman Tarun’s corruption on deputy director Md. Nasiruddin Khan. Besides, ACC is investigating separately into other corruptions of Milk Vita.

ACC Chairman M Badiuzzaman told banglanews that a syndicate for personal gain is trying to destroy Milk Vita through irregularities and corruption.

He told that we received several complaints of corruption and accordingly we are investigating.

There is allegation that the organization’s chairman has misappropriated Taka 20 lakhs in purchasing vegetable fat (palm kernel oil).

After probe by the cooperative department there was proof of this misappropriation and accordingly the chairman was told to return the money.

In the investigation report of the cooperative department signed by additional registrar Zainul Abedin on last February 4, it was stated that on last February 8 of 2010 a tender for purchasing fat oil was floated.

Through the influence of the chairman one M/S Mozammel Hossain got the work order on January 11 of 2011. According to the work order 20 mts of fat oil was supposed to be supplied, bill was also paid accordingly. 

But, on January 22 of that year only 5 mts of fat oil was physically supplied. No further oil was supplied.

When the matter was surfaced the authority made three correspondences with the supplier but the supplier firm did not pay heed to it.

It is learnt that in the collusion with the chairman the supplier did not supply the rest 15 mts of fat oil. According to the reports of cooperative department an amount of Taka 16 lakh 80 thousand and Taka 3 lakh 26 thousand 980 in other two heads were misappropriated.

According to the audit report submitted on last March, it was revealed that in 91 heads there was corruption during last four decades.

The corruption field thus included withdrawal of salary and other benefits in the name of fake employees, purchase of transports, installation of condensed milk plant and freezing machines, employment in exchange of bribes, selling of products at the rate less than the production cost and not depositing the sale proceeds in the institution’s fund.

In this way, a large amount of money was siphoned out from Milk Vita. ACC is investigating all these irregularities.

Four pairs of tires were purchased at Taka 1 lakh 76 thousand for the vehicles of Milk Vita. According to the work order in 2009-10 fiscal the amount was paid to Rahimafrooz distribution and the same bill was paid again in 2011-12 fiscal year. The allegation of this misappropriation was also brought against the Milk Vita chairman Hasib Khan Tarun.                 

However, Hasib Khan Tarun could not be contacted though tried several times.

BDST: 1555 HRS, JUN 11, 2014