Petrobangla to take action against 23 officials

Finally, the state-owned oil and gas corporation Petrobangla is set to take official action against 23 people including seven former managing directors of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL).
Petrobangla decided to take action as those 23 officials had not been punished even after the had submitted charge-sheet against them in a case filed for coal worth over Tk 243.28 crore going missing from a mine in Dinajpur.
It is a regular practice or norms of public sector entities to suspend its employees or officials when the ACC-like organization submits charge sheet against them (employees or officials).
But the accused are fortunate as they are under the Ministry of Energy Division (Barapukuria Coal Mine) and that is why they are above law.
 ACC Deputy Director in Dinajpur Ashiqur Rahman submitted the charge-sheet to the court on July 24. But all the accused have been enjoying all government facilities and status for the last three months.
"We will take our action when we get the copy of the      warrant letter," a senior official of Petrobangla told the Daily Observer on Wednesday.
A senior Special Judge's Court in Dinajpur issued the warrant after accepting the charge sheet submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission in the case, ACC lawmaker Aminur Rahman said.
"This is a unique incident. The Energy Ministry has kept mum. ACC filed the case and even it submitted its charge-sheet but no action was taken against them. It is ridiculous," a senior official said.
Only three junior officials were suspended (on temporary basis), he said.  
The accused former BCMCL managing directors are Mahabubur Rahman, Abdul Aziz Khan, Khurshid Alam, Quamruzzaman, Anisuzzaman, SM Nurul Aurangjeb and Habib Uddin Ahmed.
Following the detection of 1.45 lakh tonnes coal going missing in early July last year, BCMCL Manager Anisur Rahman filed the case with Parbatipur Police Station accusing 19 officials.
The ACC later took over the investigation.
According to the case statement, the accused officials, through mutual understanding, had caused over 1.43 lakh tonnes of coal to disappear. The estimated market price of the coal is over Tk 243, 28, 82,501.84, which the officials allegedly misappropriated between January 2006 and July 19, 2018.
The charge-sheeted officials are: Former managing directors of the company Md Mahbubur Rahman, Md Abdul Aziz Khan, Engineer Khurshidul Hasan, engineer Kamruzzaman, Md Aminuzzaman, Engineer SM Nurul  Aurangzeb; former MD and general manager (mine operations) Engineer Habib Uddin Ahammad; former GM (administration) Md Shariful Alam; former GM (admin) Md Abul Kashem Prodhaniya; former GM (mine operations) Abu Taher Md Nur-uz-Zaman Chowdhury; Manager (security Masudur Rahman Howlader; Manager (maintenance and operation) Md Arifur Rahman; Manager (security) Syed Iman Hasan; Assistant Manager (coal handling management) Muhammad Khalilur Rahman; Asst Manager (maintenance and operation) Md Morsheduzzaman; Asst Manager (production management) Md Habibur Rahman; Asst Manager (mine development) Md Jahedur Rahman; Asst Manager (ventilation management) Satyendra Nath Barman; Asst Manager (PM) Md Moniruzzaman; Manager (coal handling management) Md Shoebur Rahman; Assistant General Manager (store department) AKM Khaledul Islam, now suspended; Manager (production management) Ashok Kumar Haldar; and AGM (mine planning and development) Md Zobayer Ali.
Md Abdul Aziz Khan is holding the post of Member, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission and engineer Kamruzzaman is working as the Managing Director of Rupantarito Prakitik Gas Company.