A significant number of government employees are not providing accurate accounts of their assets, even though the existing laws, government orders, and High Court directives make it mandatory.
There is an obligation to declare assets upon joining the service and to update this information annually. However, many public servants are reluctant to disclose their assets publicly, preferring to keep their accumulated wealth hidden.
This issue has created a division among public servants, raising questions about what fears or problems might be causing this reluctance.
Those government employees who resist disclosing their assets argue that they already file tax returns every year, which include all asset details. They question the necessity of submitting separate asset declarations.
On the other hand, a small group of employees assert that if someone is transparent and not involved in corruption, they should have no issue submitting asset declarations multiple times.
Asset declaration every 5yrs
There is a provision from the government that mandates government employees to submit their asset declarations to the controlling authority every five years.
This is part of the employment conduct code. However, this conduct code is not being effectively implemented.
Ministries, departments, and agencies responsible for overseeing these employees are not taking sufficient measures to collect asset declarations.
However, the issue has become a hot topic in the country after several top government officials came under scrutiny over illegal wealth.
Inquiring into various government offices reveals that the rule requiring the submission of asset declarations every five years was introduced in 1979.
During the caretaker government in 2007, strict instructions were issued for asset declarations, which all employees complied with at that time.
After much discussion, the government again mandated asset declarations in 2015, but most ministries failed to collect them, especially facing strong opposition from doctors.
What does the law say?
According to the Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1979, Rule 13(1), every government employee must declare, upon entering service, all movable and immovable properties owned by them or their family members.
Rule 13(2) states that every government employee must submit a declaration of any increase or decrease in their assets each December.
The submission frequency was later changed from annually to every five years in 2002.
Government employees must also seek permission to purchase or sell any property, stating the source of funds for purchases and the price for sales, to ensure that transactions are conducted fairly.
Yearly submission
Analysts argue that shifting from annual to five-year submissions has reduced the significance of this practice and made government employees less interested in it.
Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) advised the government to collect and regularly update asset declarations from public servants annually to curb major corruption in Bangladesh, but this has not been implemented effectively.
Despite recent discussions about corruption and illicit wealth among a few officials, and a High Court directive, implementation remains lax.
In June of this year, the Minister of Law, Anisul Huq, said that there is no need for new laws beyond the existing rules to obtain accurate asset declarations from government officials.
On July 2, the High Court ordered the implementation of rules regarding the submission and publication of asset declarations by government employees, with a progress report due within three months.
What govt officials say
Solaiman Haque, an employee at the Pirojpur Deputy Commissioner's office, said: "I don't see any problem in submitting the asset statement. There is no issue with providing it if the government or the court requests it, as I am not involved in any irregularities.
"However, there is no reason to take my statement as the final truth. This matter can also be investigated by various government intelligence agencies, but it must be done correctly and impartially," he added.
An anonymous official from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief said that filing annual tax returns, which include asset details, should suffice.
Another anonymous official from the Cabinet Division stated that if the government requires asset declarations, there should be no hesitation unless there is something to hide.
“If the government requests it, the asset statement can be provided a thousand times. There is no reason to delay. If there is any delay, it should be understood that there is some kind of irregularity involved," he said.
A deputy commissioner from the southern region, also wishing to remain anonymous, emphasized the need to strictly enforce the 1979 rule requiring asset declarations upon joining service and every five years thereafter.
TIB calls for transparency
In a recent statement, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), said that the proposed amendment to the Government Service (Conduct) Rules contradicts the government's electoral commitments and its declared policy of zero tolerance against high-level corruption.
“Initially, there was a provision to submit asset statements annually. However, due to the reluctance of government employees, this requirement was relaxed to every five years. Even then, there was a lack of interest in complying with this provision,” he said.
“Although they submit asset statements at the beginning of their employment, government employees do not prioritize updating them every five years. Removing this obligation now effectively encourages government employees to become more corrupt,” Dr Iftekharuzzaman added.
Without the requirement to submit asset statements, the opportunity for government employees to engage in corruption and acquire illegal assets will increase. Consequently, the public will face greater difficulties in obtaining services from government offices, and the incidence of illegal financial transactions will multiply, he mentioned.