The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday launched an inquiry into six officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for allegedly helping taxpayers evade taxes in exchange for bribes and accumulating illegal wealth, ACC Deputy Director (Public Relations) Akhtarul Islam confirmed.
The six NBR officials under investigation are AKM Badiul Alam, member of the Income Tax Policy Division, Hasan Mohammad Tarek Rikabder, additional commissioner of the Directorate of Audit, Intelligence and Investigation, Mirza Ashiq Rana, additional commissioner of Tax Zone-Dhaka 8, Monalisa Shahreen Sushmita, additional commissioner of Tax Zone-Dhaka 16, Sadhan Kumar Kundu, additional commissioner of Dhaka South Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, and Md Morshed Uddin Khan, joint tax commissioner at BSS Tax Academy.
Akhtarul said the investigation has been initiated following allegations that the six NBR officials accumulated wealth beyond their known sources of income through irregularities and corruption.
According to NBR sources, at least five of the officials under investigation are directly involved in the ongoing protests within the NBR.
Hasan Mohammad Tarek Rikabder is the president of the NBR Reform Unity Council, under whose banner the movement is taking place.
Mirza Ashiq Rana and Shahreen Sushmita are vice-presidents of the council.
Since May 12, NBR officers and staff have been staging protests centring on the implementation of reform initiatives, resulting in a near-standstill at the country’s main revenue-collecting agency and disruption in services.
On May 12, the government issued an ordinance to dissolve the NBR and the Internal Resources Division (IRD), replacing them with two separate divisions — the Revenue Policy and the Revenue Management — to separate policymaking from revenue collection.
Economists, researchers, and business leaders have long called for such reforms.
One of the conditions of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) $4.7 billion loan was the separation of tax policy and administration.
While NBR officials do not oppose the formation of two divisions, they are demanding that officials from the revenue sector be given priority in appointments.
The government, however, insists that suitable individuals will be appointed, possibly including administration cadre officials.
The protesters have also demanded the resignation of NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan, accusing him of excluding revenue officials from the reform process and repressing the protesters.
Amid this turmoil, the government issued a statement on Sunday, declaring all NBR jobs essential services.
It also urged protesting officials and staff to return to work, warning that failure to do so will prompt strict measures to protect the public and the economy.
