Another PWD engineer faces corruption calims

Another senior engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) has come under scrutiny over allegations of corruption, unexplained wealth and abuse of official influence, including claims that he helped broker the appointment of the department’s chief engineer in exchange for a substantial financial transaction.

Mohammad Badrul Alam Khan, a Superintending Engineer and member of the 21st BCS Public Works cadre, has been named in a written complaint submitted to the secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and the PWD chief engineer.

The complaint calls for an investigation into his finances, official conduct and alleged influence over recruitment, promotions and government procurement.

It alleges that Badrul Alam played a role in arranging the appointment of Md Khalekuzzaman Chowdhury as PWD chief engineer through an alleged financial arrangement. The claim has not been independently 
verified.

Khalekuzzaman was appointed chief engineer on a current-charge basis after Mohammad Shamim Akhtar was removed from the post. The appointment subsequently drew questions over whether established seniority norms were followed.

The allegations against Badrul Alam come after his transfer from Dhaka PWD Circle-1 to the department’s reserve pool in Dhaka, shortly after a three-member committee was formed in April to examine corruption allegations against him.

Dr Abu Naser Chowdhury, then Superintending Engineer (Civil, current charge) of Dhaka PWD Circle-2, was subsequently given additional responsibility for Circle-1.

The complaint further alleges that Badrul Alam used his official position and contacts with contractors and influential officials to influence administrative and procurement decisions.

It claims he maintained a network of preferred contractors and intermediaries who allegedly collected commissions from public works projects.

The complainant has also alleged that Badrul Alam accumulated substantial wealth while in government service and operated private business interests through relatives.

The complaint seeks scrutiny of his property holdings, bank accounts, investments, tax records and other financial transactions to determine whether his assets are consistent with his lawful income.

A separate dossier circulating in connection with the allegations makes larger claims, alleging that Badrul Alam accumulated assets worth more than Tk 100 crore.

It further alleges that contractors paid commissions ranging from Tk 20 lakh to Tk 50 lakh for various projects and that payments were sought in exchange for recruitment to lower-grade government positions.

There are also claims that attempts were made to influence media coverage and suppress reports critical of him. These allegations, like the others, remain unsubstantiated.

The complaint alleges that Badrul Alam owns or controls apartments, land, business interests and other investments in Dhaka, with some assets allegedly registered in the names of relatives. It also makes claims about investments abroad, but no publicly available supporting documents were found to independently substantiate them.

If authorities open a formal investigation, property records, bank statements, tax returns, procurement files and recruitment documents could help establish whether the allegations have a factual basis.

Badrul Alam remains entitled to respond to the allegations. Repeated attempts to reach him by phone for comment were unsuccessful. The Ministry of Housing and Public Works and the PWD had also not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.