The police are not going to Germany to buy bedsheets and pillow covers, says a Bangladesh Police spokesperson.
No one is going to visit the European country at the moment, Bangladesh Police Media and Public Relations Assistant Inspector General Md Kamruzzaman told Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday.
False and misleading information has been circulating on social media recently about Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed visiting Germany with the intention of purchasing 1,000 bed sheets from Germany for the police force, he added in a statement issued the same day.
Germany is not a manufacturer and exporter of bed sheets, but rather a country of heavy industry, he added.
According to the statement, the police always purchase bed sheets and pillow covers through local tenders and the same arrangements have been made this year.
AIG Kamruzzaman said that according to the Public Procurement Act, a government procurement official cannot purchase or procure any type of government product by visiting any market or country similar to buying personal goods.
“There is a prescribed government procurement process,” he added.
Responding to Dhaka Tribune’s queries on the purpose of the visit, he said: “No one is going to Germany from Bangladesh police, and we have told you about this confusion. There is nothing more to say."
Initially, the police claimed that there was a misinterpretation due to confusion in the language of the order issued by the home ministry.
They said that a propaganda group had been deliberately trying to tarnish the image of the police force by spreading rumors on social media.
