'White Paper preparation committee to highlight corruption extent, not corrupts'

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, head of the committee tasked with preparing a white paper on the state of Bangladesh’s economy, said the committee’s role is to analyze the causes and extent of corruption, not to identify or “catch” the corrupt.

“This committee will explain why corruption occurs and assess its severity,” said Dr Debapriya. “However, it is not our responsibility to identify who is involved in corruption. That task falls under the jurisdiction of the government and its relevant agencies.”

Dr Debapriya made these remarks while speaking to reporters following the committee’s first meeting at the General Economics Division (GED) office in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Thursday.

He emphasized that the committee’s purpose is to promote transparency in the economic landscape of the country. “Through this exercise, the current government will better understand what they have inherited to govern the country,” he added.

During the inaugural meeting, the committee members discussed several key topics, including the context and purpose of the initiative, the scope and methodology of their work, the tentative structure of the final report, outreach and communication strategies, division of tasks among team members, and other related matters.

Dr Debapriya also underscored that the committee is not responsible for implementing any reform measures. “We are not here to carry out reform activities,” he said.

He further clarified that the committee will not conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the banking sector and financial institutions. “The government is planning to form a Banking Commission, which will be established in the future to address those issues,” Dr Debapriya noted.