Press Release
Dhaka, 26 December 2023: Concerns persist regarding the authenticity of income, wealth, loan, and debt, disclosed in the candidates' affidavits submitted for the national parliamentary election, with Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) highlighting the absence of verifiable measures. The organisation has raised serious concerns over lack of practical steps in confirming the accuracy of the candidates’ wealth-related information, income sources, assets, and ‘undisclosed’ foreign investments. TIB urges proactive action from the Election Commission (EC), the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to investigate and authenticate the affidavit data.
During a press conference held on Tuesday, TIB presented a detailed report on the parliamentary election candidates’ affidavits while introducing the ‘Know Your Candidate (KYC)’ interactive dashboard. TIB’s Outreach and Communication Division Coordinator Mohammad Tauhidul Islam presented the report.
TIB Board of Trustees Chairperson Advocate Sultana Kamal, Executive Director (ED) Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Adviser - Executive Management Professor Dr. Sumaiya Khair, Director - Outreach and Communication Sheikh Manjur-E-Alam, and data visualizers Rifat Rahman and K M Rafiqul Alam attended the event, among others.
The report meticulously analysed eight categories of information - extracted from the candidates’ affidavits submitted for the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th parliamentary elections. These encompassed educational qualifications, criminal case histories (past and ongoing), professional backgrounds, sources of income, property and debt declarations of the candidates and their dependents, and loan details.
In conjunction with this analysis, TIB crafted an accessible KYC dashboard, available at www.ti-bangladesh.org/kyc, allowing comprehensive comparison of the candidates across multiple elections, based on constituency and party affiliations. The dashboard presents an opportunity for both citizens and state agencies to evaluate candidates’ data and take necessary actions.
The TIB anlysis, meanwhile, revealed unprecedented findings for the upcoming 12th parliamentary election. The number of independent candidates has surged significantly, while the candidates affiliated with or supported by the ruling party dominating in every constituency, with multiple instances of more than one candidate fielded.
Notably, over 57 per cent of the candidates have graduate or postgraduate degrees, with 13.66 per cent being self-educated. Businesspersons also showcased a substantial presence, accounting for 57 per cent of the candidates in the upcoming election, marking a 10 per cent increase in their participation over the last 15 years. Moreover, a record 164 candidates or approximately 27 per cent reported annual earnings exceeding BDT one crore based on their current financial standings, including 18 billionaires, the wealthiest among them possessing assets worth BDT 1,345 crore.
The trend signifies a prioritisation of candidates with wealth surpassing BDT one crore by political parties. For instance, Bangladesh Awami League fielded 27 per cent candidates with assets exceeding BDT one crore in the 9th parliamentary election, a figure that escalated to 86 per cent after 15 years. Additionally, close to 47 per cent of the independent candidates declared wealth exceeding BDT one crore.
The affidavits also highlighted instances of candidates owning vast expanses of land, surpassing legal limits outlined in the Land Reform Act 2023 (according to which, the limit of ownership is 60 Bigha agrarian land and total 100 Bigha including non-agrarian land). Notably, around 27 per cent of the upcoming election candidates collectively reported loans or debts amounting to over BDT 16,000 crore, with some candidates reporting income spikes exceeding 2,000 per cent compared to their previous income disclosures alongside staggering asset increments.
Furthermore, discrepancies between disclosed information and actual holdings were evident in TIB's findings. For instance, ‘undisclosed overseas companies’ owned by a minister conducting real estate business abroad raised questions, with his total assets valued at approximately BDT 2,312 crore.
Based on the information provided on the affidavits, TIB ED Dr. Iftekharuzzaman commented on the unusual increase in the assets of ministers and MPs, and said, “There are doubts whether the information provided on the affidavits are accurate or not. The way the information was disclosed, it seems that the practice of unveiling assets in affidavits is just a mere formality now. Presenting false or incomplete information in affidavits is a criminal offence as well.”
“However, the state agencies that were supposed to investigate such matters are playing an inactive role. On the other hand, it is a matter of grave concern that accountability measures are not taken, especially when wealth of the MPs and ministers have soared unbelievably amid doubts if the increase rates are in line with their actual legal incomes. In this case, the proactive role of the relevant state agencies is inevitable.”
“We hope that the ACC, EC and NBR would analyse and utilise the data available on the TIB’s KYC dashboard to implement their mandates. We believe that the analysis has provided an opportunity for the relevant political parties to take part in self-criticism, and we hope that the parties would pay due attention to it,” he added.
In response to media queries, Advocate Sultana Kamal expressed dismay over the escalating trend of the candidates’ assets, lamenting the widening wealth gap while a significant portion of the country’s population struggles. She also criticised the deviation from the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War and the concentration of wealth among a select few, questioning the integrity of claims about national development in the face of such disparities.
Media Contact:
Sheikh Manjur-E-Alam
Director, Outreach and Communication
Phone: +880241021267-70
Email: manjur@ti-bangladesh.org
