4 ex-MDs found responsible for Barapukuria coal theft

A probe body formed by Petrobangla, a state-owned national oil company, has found four former managing directors responsible for stealing nearly 145,000 tonnes of coal from Barapukuria mine.

The coal pilfered is worth Tk 2.3 billion, according to an official estimate.

The coal scam led to acute coal shortage at the 525-MW Barapukuria Power station, the only coal-burnt power plant in the country. This also forced the authorities to shut down the plant immediately.

The authorities said it will not be possible to resume the power station until the next month as the coal extraction from the new layer will start on 15 August.

The three-member investigation committee, headed by its director (mining) Quamruzzaman, on Wednesday submitted the report to Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources ministry.

Engineer Habib Uddin Ahmed, who has just been removed as the managing director of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL), LNG processing company Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited’s former MD Kamruzzaman, Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited’s former MDs -- SM Nurul Aurangajeb and Anisuzzaman, who is now working at a Chinese company, were found responsible for disappearance of coal, according to the report.

BCMCL’s manager (administration) Mohammad Anisur Rahman has filed a case accusing 19 officials of the company, including recently sacked MD Habib Uddin Ahmed, in connection with the coal scam.

According to the case statement, the coal extraction commercially began at the mine on 10 September in 2005. As per recorded volume of extraction, the reserved coal was supposed to be 147,000 tonnes by July this year. But, on 19 July, only 3,000 tonnes of coal was found at the BCMCL.

People familiar with the matter said none of the MDs of BCMCL earlier kept record of the volume of the coal.

Asked about the matter, SM Nurul Aurangajeb, who is one of the accused in the case, said, “I can’t tell anything about it right now. Contact with me, later.”

No one except SM Nurul picked phone calls when contacted.

State minister Nasrul Ahmed told Prothom Alo that all of the former managing directors are involved with the irregularities.

Even, deputy general managers are also involved with the embezzlement, the mister added.

He said that legal action will be taken against the accused.

On 23 July, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also formed another investigation committee, which is supposed to submit a report within 14 days.

Meanwhile, the ACC has sent a letter to the Special Branch (SB) of the police seeking a ban on any foreign travel of the 19 officials of the company.

Petrobangla chairman Abul Monsur Md Foyzullah visited the coal mine and talked to the labourers at the mine for at least two hours on Wednesday.