Allegation of misconduct against CGDF

Staff Reporter  :
An allegation of serious professional misconduct has been raised against recently appointed Controller General Defense Finance (CGDF) of the Defense Finance Department (DFD), Mohammad Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan. During his audit into the Bangladesh Embassy in Vietnam he harassed officials of various levels
including the ambassadors and obtained unfair benefits.
Later, Bangladesh Ambassador to Vietnam and Laos, Samina Naz, made a complaint to Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury. On the basis of the complaint, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General issued a show cause notice against him to explain his position over the allegation. However, he has not given any written explanation over the allegation yet.
In the meantime, he has been promoted as a grade-1 officer and given the charge of the Controller General Defense Finance of the Defense Finance Department.
However, Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan denied the allegation saying that he could not recall any such complaint.
While serving as Director General of the Defense Audit Directorate, Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan was nominated as the team leader of mission audit of Bangladesh Mission Hanoi (Vietnam) and Bangladesh Mission Moscow (Russia) on June 24 in 2019.
According to the complaint, “Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan went to Hanoi with his wife and the mission arranged her visa without any official letter that she was accompanying the team. The audit team was invited by the Ambassador at Bangladesh House for a courtesy dinner along with the spouse of the Head. Audit head didn’t bring his wife to the dinner at Bangaldesh House.
The Mission showed other courtesies with its expenses to offer to the audit team’s two members and spouses as a good gesture-arrangement of a tour to the UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay, 180 km away from the Hanoi with rented car and arrangement of night halt at boat, tour to Sa Pa, 300 km away from Hanoi and highest mountain region of Indo-China on a working day with car and hotel stay. It also arranged a day tour for them to hil station Tam Dao, 60 km from Hanoi with car”.
However, Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan made pressure to arrange a tour for them to Ho Chi Minh City, 1800 km away from Hanoi. The Mission purchased four returned air tickets for them. But later, whimsically, he didn’t wish to go, making the ticket money all wasted. A full time car was rented and provided to them throughout the audit period as Mission has no staff car. Every working day, as a courtesy, lunch was cooked with Bangladeshi menu from the houses of the officials by rotation and served them with care.
While discussing with the Ambassador on her request on objections related to Her Credential ceremony, he even humiliated the lady ambassador by saying that her Credential travel related paper was ‘fake’ and made judgmental comment on the integrity of the ambassador.
On the basis of the complaint, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General in September in 2019 issued a show cause notice against him to explain his position over the allegation. He was asked to explain as to why his conduct should not be declared contrary to the Public Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1979 and the Auditors’ Code of Ethics.
The letter also asked him to show cause as to why a departmental proceedings under the Government Servants (Disciplinary and Appeal) Rules, 2018 should not be initiated against him in view of the said allegations. However, the matter is still under investigation, said the insiders.
Allegedly, he always tries to portray himself as a staunch supporter of the ruling party and thereby impose his authority over the other officials.