Dhaka //

Trade Advisor Sheikh Bashir Uddin said, ‘The biggest oil syndicate has escaped, so you are not feeling the impact in that way. And our institutions have been destroyed. Among them, TCBK has been destroyed the most.’

He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at the ‘Prize Giving Ceremony of ERF-PRAN 2024’ program at the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) office on Tuesday.

The program, chaired by ERF President Refayet Ullah Mirdha, was attended by the special guests of the program, Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor Shafiqul Alam, Chairman of PRAN RFL Group Ahsan Khan Chowdhury and Managing Director of Bangladesh Journalists’ Welfare Trust Muhammad Abdullah.

Sheikh Bashir Uddin said, ‘The previous government laundered about 28 lakh crore taka. They destroyed the institutions as regulators for the laundered money. Among them, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is one. TCB has 16 offices across the country, with only 142 officials and employees. The allocation for these 142 people is 11.5 billion taka, out of which the government provides subsidies of 4 billion taka.’

He said, the loss we have suffered in the last 15 years is that the institutional structures have been destroyed. This has caused us a huge loss.

Referring to the information in the white paper, the trade advisor said, ‘The white paper has already been published, which says that 28 lakh crore taka has been laundered. If you combine this, it is equal to the national income of one and a half years.’

Sheikh Bashir Uddin said, ‘A few people have stolen money. This is definitely an impossible matter for us as citizens. Our institutions have been destroyed in this kind of sea theft.’

ERF President Refayet Ullam Mirdha presided over the event, with the organization’s General Secretary Abul Kashem, executive members, award judges and invited journalists from various media outlets present.

This year, awards were given in three categories. Of these, five were awarded in the print category, two in the online category and three in the television category.

Senior reporter of Amed Somro, Ziadul Islam, and business editor of Somro Alo, Alamgir Hossain, jointly won first place in the print category. Two special correspondents of The Financial Express, Jasim Uddin Harun and FHM Humayun Kabir, jointly won second place in this category. Senior reporter of Kaler Kantha, Sahanwar Saeed Shaheen, won third place. Chief reporter of Jagonews24.com, Ibrahim Hossain Obi, won first place in the online category and senior reporter of Jugantor, Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, won second place. Besides, in the television category, Jamuna Television senior reporter Touhid Hossain Papon won first place and Ekushey TV senior reporter Touhidur Rahman and Independent TV senior reporter Haripada Saha jointly won second place.

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