Editorial
Corruption in CAG office
Gatekeeper-turned-poacher story!
Unsurprisingly, Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) has detected some 23 instances of corruption in the Comptroller & Auditor General's office. This statutory body is entrusted with a pivotal task of auditing and accounting of all government expenditures. As such, it has a crucial oversight role in terms of enforcing financial discipline. Because it is concerned with post-auditing and accounting and hardly consulted before making an expenditure in terms of its conformity with financial manual and rules, the CAG acts as the terminal point in what should have been an elaborate check and balance system.
To find instances of graft in such an oversight organisation as detailed by TIB makes a dismal reading of an entrenched corruption culture. It is not only institutional corruption but also abetting institutionalisation of graft.
The bribes taken range from petty to big cuts. For instance, promotion to higher scale, drawing of first salary and bonus and authorisation of vehicle maintenance, internet, telephone and contingency bills, delivery of cheques -- nothing is spared the palm greasing. More importantly, bribes for contractors' bills and clearance of pension cases are pretty much routine. The method is sitting on files until graft is signaled by a harassed bunch of preys and received not under but sometimes over the table.
Talk vociferously as you might about such incidence of corruption, any strategy for reform will be far from effective if the government has not filled the void of 37 percent understaffing of CAG. Severely short-handed government organisation is a sure fire way of inducing mismanagement and corruption.
The suggestions being aired include one-step complaints redress mechanism and staggered presentation of bills over a period of time rather than stuffing the CAG with stacks of bills towards the end of the budget year.
It is primarily a question of budget implementation! The culture is characterised by flawed and long drawn-out decision-making which gets reflected on delayed utilisation of money, billing and accounting exercises. The issues are fundamental in nature and cannot simply be wished away without carrying out reform of financial governance backed up by strong political will of the government of the day.
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