A dressing table that has a market value of Tk 30,500 was shown in government project documents as being purchased for as much as Tk 550,000 — nearly 18 times higher than its actual price.
The unusually high pricing has emerged in the construction project of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), following earlier controversies such as the widely discussed “pillow scandal”.
According to an investigation by the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), significant irregularities were found in furniture procurement for the project’s residential complex, known as “Green City”.
The probe revealed that Tk 33.3 million was allegedly spent as excess cost in the purchase of dressing tables alone.
Documents show that a total of 1,342 dressing tables were purchased for the project. Among them, 21 units were bought at Tk 550,000 each, 15 units at Tk 147,000 each, and 294 units at Tk 55,000 each. Most of the remaining tables were also priced above Tk 40,000 each.
Investigators said such wide variation in pricing for identical items within the same project is highly unusual and suggests a departure from standard procurement procedures.
Sources involved in the investigation said the procurement process did not follow proper rules and regulations.
The irregularities in the Green City residential component of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project — implemented during the previous Awami League government — have come under renewed scrutiny.
The issue was included in one of 38 reports submitted to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday by various government departments and agencies.
Tk 40 million asset worth Tk 70 million billed
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found that furniture procurement under the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project involved significant overbilling, with dressing tables alone showing major price inflation.
According to the investigation report, a total of 1,342 dressing tables had an actual market value of Tk 40.9 million. However, the expenditure shown in official records stands at Tk 74.3 million — an excess of Tk 33.3 million.
The report also highlights that Tk 33,500 per unit was initially proposed for dressing tables, dressing seats, and associated handling and delivery costs. While the actual market price and related expenses were estimated at Tk 30,500 per unit, the figure was already inflated in the initial estimate. During procurement, however, prices were further escalated, in some cases reaching as high as Tk 550,000 per unit.
Investigators concluded that dressing tables were purchased at prices up to 18 times higher than market rates, to benefit contractors. The audit report notes that during the verification process, concerned engineers were asked to justify the discrepancies but failed to provide any explanation.
Sources say the procurement took place between 2016 and 2020, when the project was under the directorship of M Shaukat Akbar. Allegations of irregularities in procurement first surfaced in media reports in 2019, covering purchases of pillows, dressing tables, bed sheets and other furniture items.
At the time, the “pillow scandal” drew widespread public criticism, particularly over the unusually high costs of procurement and even the expense of transporting items within project buildings.
The CAG findings further reveal that in some cases, a single pillow was reportedly billed at as much as Tk 89,900.
The investigation also estimates that nearly Tk 2.95 billion may have been embezzled through irregularities in the construction of 20 residential buildings under the project.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant procurement controversy has long been cited as a high-profile example of alleged corruption in large-scale infrastructure projects in Bangladesh.
No punitive action taken despite allegations
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) investigation report has named two companies — Sazin Construction Limited and Majid Sons Construction Limited — in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project.
According to the report, the two firms allegedly embezzled around Tk 33.3 million by charging excessive prices in the procurement of dressing tables.
Despite repeated discussions and investigations into allegations of irregularities and corruption in the Rooppur project over time, no significant disciplinary action has yet been taken against the officials involved.
So far, only one action has been reported: in April this year, Sub-Assistant Engineer Suman Kumar Nandi, who was associated with the project, was forced into early retirement.
Commenting on the matter, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman told Prothom Alo that since specific irregularities in the Rooppur project have already been identified, accountability must be ensured.
Those involved in facilitating corruption and irregularities should be brought under the legal process and face proper trial, he said.