1,000 passports issued to ineligible civilians in 6 months

Official passports �for sale� at DIP

Five officials involved in racket

A major racket involving officials of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) has allegedly issued at least 1,000 official passports to ineligible civilians. The racket has done so in connivance with agents of different recruitment agencies from November 2014 to April 2015 in exchange of hefty bribes, a primary investigation by the DIP has found.
Before issuing the passports, the corrupt officials of the racket forged office orders in different government offices using the names and seals of class-I government officials.
During the investigation, the members of the inquiry committee asked those whose signatures and seals were used in the government order to issue the official passports. All of them replied that their signatures and seals were fake. The accused officials may have used their names and seals to issue official passports in lieu of large sums of money, a high official of the DIP said, quoting the primary inquiry report.
Before obtaining an official passport, a government employee must obtain an order from the government offices concerned and submit it along with a prescribed form to the DIP offices. The DIP office then issues an official passport subject to proper verification.
The passport department has suspended a director, an assistant director and two employees so far, after confirmation in their involvement in primary investigation. The process of suspending the rest is under way.
Take the case of 22-year-old Shamsuddin of South Shaktola village under Nodona post office of Sonaimuri upazila in Noakhali district. He is now working in Brazil, with an official passport, No. OC 81098411. He changed his normal passport into an official one on December 8, 2014, from the Agargaon passport office in Dhaka.
While changing his passport, Shamsuddin took an official order (No. 98/14 dated 04/12/2014) from the office of the income tax commissioner in Shegunbagicha of Dhaka. Income tax commissioner Md MA Quader signed the office order for an official visit abroad. In the order, Shamsuddin mentioned that he was working in the office as an MLSS (Member of Lower Subordinate Staff). Shamsuddin submitted the office order to the passport office in Agargaon. SM Nazrul Islam, director (administration) of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP), signed the order and referred it to another director of the office, Munshi Muyeed Ekram, for issuance of a machine readable passport (MRP) to Shamsuddin. Ekram finally appended his signature for issuance of the MRP.

Again, Milon Bepari, a jobless youth of Munshiganj, MRP no. OC 4127662, is preparing to go to France. He has taken an office order from the office of the income tax commissioner in Shegunbagicha of Dhaka showing him as an office assistant. Munshi Muyeed Ekram finally signed the office order to issue an MRP. Bepari received the official passport on April 15, 2015.
Mushfikur Rahman of Demra, Dhaka, took an office order from the Health Directorate for an official passport as the husband of a nurse, Rahina Jannat, of the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH). The assistant director of the Health Directorate issued the office order and the director of the passports department, Munshi Muyeed Ekram, recommended issuance of the official passport for him. He got the official passport: No. OC 6119157.
Like other directors of the passports department, assistant director Nasrin Pervin Nupur had recommended that an official passport be issued to Mohammad Shameem of Munshiganj. He got passport No. OC 8128005.
Another assistant director, Umme Kulsum, recommended that an official passport be issued to Md Motaleb Hossain of Comilla, bearing passport No. OC 4128708. Another assistant director, SM Shah Zaman, recommended issuance of an official passport to Md Mamunur Rashid, who is now in Turkey. He was a medical representative (MR) of Chemico Pharmaceuticals in Dinazpur.
All these passport-bearers in question are not government employees. They are non-officials who are not entitled to get official passports. But they have managed to obtain official passports by shelling out Tk. 5 lakh each. Some recruitment agents of different travel agencies, in connivance with some dishonest officials and employees of the passports department, issued the official passports to traffic these persons abroad.
There are at least 14 countries—including Turkey, Korea, Brazil, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Chile, Belarus, the Philippines, Malaysia and India—where government employees are entitled to get visas on arrival. Besides, in those foreign countries where Bangladesh missions are absent, government employees are also entitled to get visas on arrival. The racketeers were taking advantage of this to traffic a number of Bangladeshis by using official passports.
A senior official of the passports department told The Independent that they came to know of this racket when four Bangladeshis went to the Bangladesh embassy in Turkey to change their official passports, as they had failed to obtain jobs. “After receiving a message from the embassy in Turkey, the passports department formed an inquiry committee, headed by joint secretary Atiqul Haque. The panel identified some officials, including SM Nazrul Islam, Munshi Muyeed Ekram, SM Shah Zaman, Nasrin Pervin Nupur and Umme Kulsum Shirin,” he said. “All these officials are involved in issuing official passports to civilians,” he added.
The senior official disclosed that these officials issued at least 1000 official passports from November 2014 to April 2015 to civilians in collusion with agents of different recruiting agencies. “Most of them worked till midnight and joined duty next morning, although their office timings were between 9am and 4pm. It has been assumed that they were carrying out their malpractices late at night,” he added.
The DIP has already sent a list of 183 official passports issued to non-officials, according to sources in the home ministry.
The passports department has suspended director Munshi Muyeed Ekram, assistant director SM Shah Zaman, and two employees so far.
The process of suspending the rest are under way, the official said.
This correspondent tried to communicate with all the accused officials of the passports department, but could reach only two officials.
Talking to this correspondent, DIP director SM Nazrul Islam said he was innocent. He said he signed the office order of some people to issue official passports, after taking reference from his superior officials. DIP assistant director Nasrin Pervin Nupur, however, said her name was not included in the primary inquiry report.
At present, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are investigating the matter to identify all culprits involved in the ‘official passport forgery’ scam.
The director general of the Department of Immigration and Passports, NM Zeaul Alam, told The Independent that they have cancelled at least 22 official passports so far. “We will file a departmental case against the officials and employees of the department after finding proof of the forgeries of official passports,” he said.
“We have already sent letters to ‘suspect’ passport holders, asking them to clarify why their official passports should not be cancelled,” he added.
Sources said in the past, the accused officials, when they were working in regional passport offices outside Dhaka, had issued a number of passports to several criminals, Rohingyas and even members of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa), who are foreign nationals.
People carrying official passports (blue cover) will get visa-free access to certain countries that usually don't allow such access to "regular" or "tourist" passport holders.
The passport department usually issues three categories of passports- regular or tourist passports (green cover), official passports (blue cover) and diplomatic passports (red cover).
Regular or tourist passport is the most common type of passports and any citizen of Bangladesh may avail passports of this category for travelling abroad.
Only the employees of Bangladesh government are entitled to carry official passports while diplomatic passport can only be held by Bangladeshi citizens who are members or staff of the diplomatic community.
In addition, the Members of Parliament (MPs), ministers, secretaries, high-ranking officials of Armed Forces and other high officials of the government also receive diplomatic passports. Passports of this category guarantee visa-free access to more countries than the "official" passports allow.

 

1,000 passports issued to ineligible civilians in 6 months

Official passports �for sale� at DIP

Five officials involved in racket

A major racket involving officials of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) has allegedly issued at least 1,000 official passports to ineligible civilians. The racket has done so in connivance with agents of different recruitment agencies from November 2014 to April 2015 in exchange of hefty bribes, a primary investigation by the DIP has found. Before issuing the passports, the corrupt officials of the racket forged office orders in different government offices using the names and seals of class-I government officials. During the investigation, the members of the inquiry committee asked those whose signatures and seals were used in the government order to issue the official passports. All of them replied that their signatures and seals were fake. The accused officials may have used their names and seals to issue official passports in lieu of large sums of money, a high official of the DIP said, quoting the primary inquiry report. Before obtaining an official passport, a government employee must obtain an order from the government offices concerned and submit it along with a prescribed form to the DIP offices. The DIP office then issues an official passport subject to proper verification. The passport department has suspended a director, an assistant director and two employees so far, after confirmation in their involvement in primary investigation. The process of suspending the rest is under way. Take the case of 22-year-old Shamsuddin of South Shaktola village under Nodona post office of Sonaimuri upazila in Noakhali district. He is now working in Brazil, with an official passport, No. OC 81098411. He changed his normal passport into an official one on December 8, 2014, from the Agargaon passport office in Dhaka. While changing his passport, Shamsuddin took an official order (No. 98/14 dated 04/12/2014) from the office of the income tax commissioner in Shegunbagicha of Dhaka. Income tax commissioner Md MA Quader signed the office order for an official visit abroad. In the order, Shamsuddin mentioned that he was working in the office as an MLSS (Member of Lower Subordinate Staff). Shamsuddin submitted the office order to the passport office in Agargaon. SM Nazrul Islam, director (administration) of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP), signed the order and referred it to another director of the office, Munshi Muyeed Ekram, for issuance of a machine readable passport (MRP) to Shamsuddin. Ekram finally appended his signature for issuance of the MRP. Again, Milon Bepari, a jobless youth of Munshiganj, MRP no. OC 4127662, is preparing to go to France. He has taken an office order from the office of the income tax commissioner in Shegunbagicha of Dhaka showing him as an office assistant. Munshi Muyeed Ekram finally signed the office order to issue an MRP. Bepari received the official passport on April 15, 2015. Mushfikur Rahman of Demra, Dhaka, took an office order from the Health Directorate for an official passport as the husband of a nurse, Rahina Jannat, of the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH). The assistant director of the Health Directorate issued the office order and the director of the passports department, Munshi Muyeed Ekram, recommended issuance of the official passport for him. He got the official passport: No. OC 6119157. Like other directors of the passports department, assistant director Nasrin Pervin Nupur had recommended that an official passport be issued to Mohammad Shameem of Munshiganj. He got passport No. OC 8128005. Another assistant director, Umme Kulsum, recommended that an official passport be issued to Md Motaleb Hossain of Comilla, bearing passport No. OC 4128708. Another assistant director, SM Shah Zaman, recommended issuance of an official passport to Md Mamunur Rashid, who is now in Turkey. He was a medical representative (MR) of Chemico Pharmaceuticals in Dinazpur. All these passport-bearers in question are not government employees. They are non-officials who are not entitled to get official passports. But they have managed to obtain official passports by shelling out Tk. 5 lakh each. Some recruitment agents of different travel agencies, in connivance with some dishonest officials and employees of the passports department, issued the official passports to traffic these persons abroad. There are at least 14 countriesincluding Turkey, Korea, Brazil, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Chile, Belarus, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indiawhere government employees are entitled to get visas on arrival. Besides, in those foreign countries where Bangladesh missions are absent, government employees are also entitled to get visas on arrival. The racketeers were taking advantage of this to traffic a number of Bangladeshis by using official passports. A senior official of the passports department told The Independent that they came to know of this racket when four Bangladeshis went to the Bangladesh embassy in Turkey to change their official passports, as they had failed to obtain jobs. After receiving a message from the embassy in Turkey, the passports department formed an inquiry committee, headed by joint secretary Atiqul Haque. The panel identified some officials, including SM Nazrul Islam, Munshi Muyeed Ekram, SM Shah Zaman, Nasrin Pervin Nupur and Umme Kulsum Shirin, he said. All these officials are involved in issuing official passports to civilians, he added. The senior official disclosed that these officials issued at least 1000 official passports from November 2014 to April 2015 to civilians in collusion with agents of different recruiting agencies. Most of them worked till midnight and joined duty next morning, although their office timings were between 9am and 4pm. It has been assumed that they were carrying out their malpractices late at night, he added. The DIP has already sent a list of 183 official passports issued to non-officials, according to sources in the home ministry. The passports department has suspended director Munshi Muyeed Ekram, assistant director SM Shah Zaman, and two employees so far. The process of suspending the rest are under way, the official said. This correspondent tried to communicate with all the accused officials of the passports department, but could reach only two officials. Talking to this correspondent, DIP director SM Nazrul Islam said he was innocent. He said he signed the office order of some people to issue official passports, after taking reference from his superior officials. DIP assistant director Nasrin Pervin Nupur, however, said her name was not included in the primary inquiry report. At present, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are investigating the matter to identify all culprits involved in the official passport forgery scam. The director general of the Department of Immigration and Passports, NM Zeaul Alam, told The Independent that they have cancelled at least 22 official passports so far. We will file a departmental case against the officials and employees of the department after finding proof of the forgeries of official passports, he said. We have already sent letters to suspect passport holders, asking them to clarify why their official passports should not be cancelled, he added. Sources said in the past, the accused officials, when they were working in regional passport offices outside Dhaka, had issued a number of passports to several criminals, Rohingyas and even members of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa), who are foreign nationals. People carrying official passports (blue cover) will get visa-free access to certain countries that usually dont allow such access to regular or tourist passport holders. The passport department usually issues three categories of passports- regular or tourist passports (green cover), official passports (blue cover) and diplomatic passports (red cover). Regular or tourist passport is the most common type of passports and any citizen of Bangladesh may avail passports of this category for travelling abroad. Only the employees of Bangladesh government are entitled to carry official passports while diplomatic passport can only be held by Bangladeshi citizens who are members or staff of the diplomatic community. In addition, the Members of Parliament (MPs), ministers, secretaries, high-ranking officials of Armed Forces and other high officials of the government also receive diplomatic passports. Passports of this category guarantee visa-free access to more countries than the official passports allow.