During a press briefing at the Secretariat today, he stated that he does not regard these allegations as significant. He said, "The phone mentioned in the news is an iPhone. Do I use any iPhone? I use a Samsung. Ask them who showed them what. I belong to a middle-class family. I don’t even use the mobile phone provided by the government; I use my own number."
When questioned about potential actions he might take, he noted that three steps have already been initiated. A letter has been sent to the Ministry of Information requesting action against those spreading the false information. Additionally, a letter was dispatched to the Home Secretary to arrest the individual responsible for issuing a fake cheque, and Bangladesh Bank has been instructed to take necessary measures to prevent the opening of such fraudulent accounts.
Referring to the situation, he stated, "Anyone can say anything. We work with the people from our position in the government. I will continue my work as long as Allah wills."
The controversy erupted after the daily Kalbela published a report on September 24, alleging that businessman Mirza Sabed Ali had offered a Tk3 crore cheque to a joint secretary in the Public Administration Ministry to secure the appointment of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director Md Abdul Awal as DC of Naogaon. The report claimed that the cheque was found in the official's office but had not been cashed because the appointment was not granted.
Later today (October 3), the newspaper released another report implicating Public Administration Secretary Mokhles ur Rahman and Joint Secretary Zia Uddin, alleging a conversation in which Mokhles ur Rahman requested Tk5 crore for a DC appointment while Zia Uddin purportedly offered double that amount, Tk10 crore.
END/MSS/AJ
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