OFFICIAL PASSPORT SCAM

Dismissal of corrupt employees begins

The home ministry has initiated the process of dismissal of some officials and employees of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) from service after detecting that some of them were involved in issuing official passports on the basis of fake ‘no objection certificates (NOCs)’ from different government offices. The ministry on Sunday dismissed DIP assistant director SM Shahjaman, who was first suspected on May 20 last year, from service. The dismissal order was signed by the senior secretary of the home ministry, Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan.
Sources in the home ministry and the DIP said the processes of dismissal from service of four other officials and employees of the DIP have been initiated. They are: DIP director Munshi Muyeed Ikram and three Upper Division (UD) clerks of the department—Saiful Islam, Abul Hossain and Shahjahan—who are currently under suspension.
In the order, Dr Khan said SM Shahjaman was dismissed from his service in DIP as per Clause 4(3)(D) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1985, after allegations of issuing official passports to a number of people on the basis of false ‘no objection certificates (NOCs)’ of different government offices were proved against him.
DIP director general (DG) Brig Gen Md Masud Rezwan told The Independent that they have traced the issuance of official passports on the basis of false NOCs of different government offices to a number of people. “All the employees of the department involved with the offence would soon be punished as per rules,” he said. “We have already cancelled a number of official passports issued on the basis of false NOCs,” he added.
DIP sources claimed that at least 1,000 official passports were issued to ineligible civilians from November 2014 to April 2015 in lieu of hefty bribes.
A group of corrupt officials of the DIP, in cahoots with some travel agencies, prepared NOCs in different government offices using the names and seals of Class I government officials.
During the investigation, the inquiry committee found that a number of non-officials, who were not entitled to get official passports, issued official passports against them by taking Tk. 5 lakh each.
Some recruitment agents of different travel agencies, in connivance with some unscrupulous officials and employees of the passports department, issued the official passports to traffic these persons abroad.
There are at least 14 countries—including Turkey, South Korea, Brazil, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Chile, Belarus, the Philippines, Malaysia and India—where government employees are entitled to get visas on arrival. Besides, government employees are also entitled to get visas on arrival in foreign countries where Bangladesh missions are absent.  The racketeers were taking advantage of this to traffic a number of Bangladeshis abroad by using official passports.
Sources said in the past, the accused officials, while they were working in regional passport offices outside Dhaka, had issued a number of passports to several criminals, Rohingyas and even members of India’s United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) who are foreign nationals. People carrying official passports (blue cover) get visa-free access to certain countries that usually do not allow such access to ‘regular’ or ‘tourist’ passport holders.
The passports department usually issues three categories of passports: regular or tourist passports (green cover), official passports (blue cover) and diplomatic passports (red cover).
The regular or tourist passport is the most common type of passports, and any citizen of Bangladesh can avail of passports of this category while travelling abroad.
Only employees of the Bangladesh government are entitled to carry official passports, while diplomatic passports can only be held by Bangladeshi citizens who are members or staff members of the diplomatic community. In addition, MPs, ministers, secretaries, high-ranking officials of the armed forces and other high-ranking officials of the government also receive diplomatic passports. Passports of this category guarantee visa-free access to more countries than the ‘official’ passports allow.

 

OFFICIAL PASSPORT SCAM

Dismissal of corrupt employees begins

The home ministry has initiated the process of dismissal of some officials and employees of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) from service after detecting that some of them were involved in issuing official passports on the basis of fake no objection certificates (NOCs) from different government offices. The ministry on Sunday dismissed DIP assistant director SM Shahjaman, who was first suspected on May 20 last year, from service. The dismissal order was signed by the senior secretary of the home ministry, Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan. Sources in the home ministry and the DIP said the processes of dismissal from service of four other officials and employees of the DIP have been initiated. They are: DIP director Munshi Muyeed Ikram and three Upper Division (UD) clerks of the departmentSaiful Islam, Abul Hossain and Shahjahanwho are currently under suspension. In the order, Dr Khan said SM Shahjaman was dismissed from his service in DIP as per Clause 4(3)(D) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1985, after allegations of issuing official passports to a number of people on the basis of false no objection certificates (NOCs) of different government offices were proved against him. DIP director general (DG) Brig Gen Md Masud Rezwan told The Independent that they have traced the issuance of official passports on the basis of false NOCs of different government offices to a number of people. All the employees of the department involved with the offence would soon be punished as per rules, he said. We have already cancelled a number of official passports issued on the basis of false NOCs, he added. DIP sources claimed that at least 1,000 official passports were issued to ineligible civilians from November 2014 to April 2015 in lieu of hefty bribes. A group of corrupt officials of the DIP, in cahoots with some travel agencies, prepared NOCs in different government offices using the names and seals of Class I government officials. During the investigation, the inquiry committee found that a number of non-officials, who were not entitled to get official passports, issued official passports against them by taking Tk. 5 lakh each. Some recruitment agents of different travel agencies, in connivance with some unscrupulous officials and employees of the passports department, issued the official passports to traffic these persons abroad. There are at least 14 countriesincluding Turkey, South Korea, Brazil, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Chile, Belarus, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indiawhere government employees are entitled to get visas on arrival. Besides, government employees are also entitled to get visas on arrival in foreign countries where Bangladesh missions are absent. The racketeers were taking advantage of this to traffic a number of Bangladeshis abroad by using official passports. Sources said in the past, the accused officials, while they were working in regional passport offices outside Dhaka, had issued a number of passports to several criminals, Rohingyas and even members of Indias United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) who are foreign nationals. People carrying official passports (blue cover) get visa-free access to certain countries that usually do not allow such access to regular or tourist passport holders. The passports department usually issues three categories of passports: regular or tourist passports (green cover), official passports (blue cover) and diplomatic passports (red cover). The regular or tourist passport is the most common type of passports, and any citizen of Bangladesh can avail of passports of this category while travelling abroad. Only employees of the Bangladesh government are entitled to carry official passports, while diplomatic passports can only be held by Bangladeshi citizens who are members or staff members of the diplomatic community. In addition, MPs, ministers, secretaries, high-ranking officials of the armed forces and other high-ranking officials of the government also receive diplomatic passports. Passports of this category guarantee visa-free access to more countries than the official passports allow.