Editorial
The curious case of the money-laden car
We demand a thorough investigation
The case of the railway ministry car filled with cash headed for the minister's residence in the middle of the night has shocked us, to say the least. The incident is alarming on many fronts. If the driver had not intentionally strayed into the Pilkhana BGB headquarters and announced that the car contained bribe money, it may never have come to public light.
The issue raises serious questions of propriety. Clearly there is a prima facie case deserving in-depth investigation. Surely a vehicle containing 70 lakh taka in cash -- or at least, as confessed by the minister's assistant personal secretary (APS) who was present, 20-30 lakh taka -- with no identified source and carrying high-ranking officials of the railway ministry, must have merited serious handling of the situation by the police. In fact, BGB should not have released the money without a police presence.
Two internal probe committees with a 15-day mandate have been formed by the minister. We, however, question the level of independence of such internal committees, especially where the minister's own APS is being implicated and will be investigated by his superior, the PS. In many countries, in similar situations, the minister would have disengaged him/herself from his/her duties for the duration of the enquiry in the interests of a fair and transparent investigation. In this case, too, the minister would set a high moral standard by removing himself from the process, in fact from the ministry itself during the 15 day investigation period.
The issue is one of grave public interest and merits serious investigation. We believe that, for the purposes of a thorough and impartial enquiry, it should be taken up by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The alleged involvement of high government functionaries in such a scandal is bringing into question the integrity of the minister, ministry and the entire cabinet. In this context, we believe the prime minister herself should take a personal interest in the case and strive to ensure an unbiased probe revealing the facts and fixing those responsible. The matter, if not taken up with urgency and seriousness and brought to a quick and fair conclusion, will greatly affect the credibility of the government in the eyes of the people.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments