Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday pointed to alleged inflated spending and corruption in several mega projects, including Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Karnaphuli Tunnel and Padma Bridge, based on audit findings that exposed widespread misuse of public funds.
Speaking at a meeting with senior police officials at the Prime Minister's Office at Tejgaon, he citied findings from some audit reports presented to him by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The Prime Minister said the current government inherited a "fragile" state structure and economy after assuming office.
"When the current government took responsibility, we found almost every sector in a very vulnerable condition. We received the country in a situation similar to that of a war-ravaged nation," he said.
Tarique Rahman said he was not presenting the issues politically but was sharing realities revealed in official audit findings.
"A few days ago, the Auditor General came to me. I am not presenting this politically; I am presenting the reality. I am not blaming anyone politically. We are citizens of this country, and your children are growing up here, which is why I am raising these issues," he said.
The Prime Minister said the CAG shared several audit observations with him, some of which had also appeared in newspapers.
Referring to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, he mentioned alleged excessive costs for furnishing residential facilities built for foreign personnel.
"He (CAG) told me that fully furnished quarters were constructed for foreigners there. A pillow was purchased at a cost of Tk 80,000. As an ordinary person, can you imagine a pillow costing Tk 80,000 anywhere in the world?" Tarique Rahman said.
He also alleged that dressing tables worth an estimated Tk 30,000 to Tk 35,000 were shown in audit records as costing Tk 4 lakh to Tk 5 lakh each.
On May 5, Comptroller and Auditor General Md Nurul Islam submitted 38 audit reports for the 2021-22 fiscal year to the Prime Minister.
Comparing the Rooppur project with a similar project in a neighbouring country, Tarique Rahman said, "A similar project in our neighbouring country reportedly cost around Tk 14,000 crore, whereas the cost of Bangladesh's Rooppur project ultimately stood at nearly Tk 96,000 crore."
Referring to the Karnaphuli Tunnel project, he alleged that several luxurious buildings or apartments were constructed on the other side of the tunnel despite no apparent necessity.
The Prime Minister also claimed the audit investigation found irregularities in landscaping expenses linked to the project.
Tarique Rahman also referred to alleged corruption linked to development projects in Pirojpur and Patuakhali districts.
He said lawmakers from the region met him regarding stalled Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) works, particularly road construction projects.
"After making inquiries, I learned that Tk 35,000 crore disappeared from just one ministry - the LGED Ministry - through paperwork alone without any work being completed," the Prime Minister said.
He also came to know that Tk 6,000 was missing in a single district alone covering several departments. "There are many more such incidents. These incidents happened. Reality is reality, and we cannot avoid it even if we want to," he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday directed police officers to treat criminals as criminals regardless of their political identity, stressing that no compromise would be made with corruption, terrorism and misrule.
"While dealing with corruption and terrorism many times you face pressures related to political identity or political affiliation. I want to give you a clear message that you should not consider anyone's political identity. Whoever is involved in crime must be treated as a criminal," he said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing senior police officers at his Tejgaon office on the occasion of Police Week 2026.
Stating that the application of law is equal for everyone, he said police are the protectors of law, not any political party, and urged officers to carry out their duties for the welfare of the state and the people.
"No individual or political party is your party. Rather, you are the protectors of law. You must always remember this. Your duty is to serve the welfare of the state and the people," Tarique said.
He said the role of police is indispensable in building a strong, accountable, lawful and people-friendly state system. "As I said yesterday, and have said before, the government does not want to compromise with corruption, terrorism and misrule."
Tarique said the relationship between police and people must be both legal and humane, urging the officials to gain the public trust.
"Alongside your other responsibilities, a significant amount of your time is also spent dealing with political instability. This is part of your duty, and it happens, more or less, in every country around the world," he said.
The Prime Minister said his government wants to ensure the democratic and political rights of people. "But, we must also remember that no one should be allowed to engage in activities that could harm communal harmony or involve any form of sabotage."
He acknowledged that maintaining law and order has become more difficult because of changing patterns of crime driven by technological advancement and transnational organised crimes.
"As crime patterns evolve, the scope of police activities has also become broader and more extensive. Today's policing is no longer limited to a city or district. Police officers now need broader and more specialised skills to deal with various forms of global and technology-based crimes," Tarique said. �"UNB
