ABM Abdus Sattar, personal secretary to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and a retired senior civil servant, has accused eight advisers of the interim government of "limitless corruption," claiming to possess evidence against them.
He stated that key appointments and transfers in the administration cannot occur without the involvement of these advisors.
Sattar made the allegations during a seminar held on Friday at the Biam auditorium in Dhaka, though he did not name the advisors directly. A batch 82 BCS Administration cadre officer, he currently serves as the General Secretary of the Officers’ Club and President of the Anti-Discrimination Employees’ Unity Forum.
The seminar, titled "Expectations from the July Mass Uprising and the Future of Public Administration," was organized by the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association and was attended by senior officials from the administration cadre.
Sattar expressed deep disappointment over the character of officials and claimed that intelligence agencies hold proof of rampant corruption by at least eight advisors who came to power following the July movement. However, no action has been taken against them. His remarks were met with applause from the audience.
He questioned why no measures have been taken despite discovering 20 billion taka in one advisor’s APS account. He also criticized the appointment of inexperienced advisors to run important ministries such as Health, Local Government, and Youth and Sports.
Sattar further alleged that corruption has worsened in the year since the fall of the Awami League government, citing examples of a land officer demanding 3 million taka for registering school land and an UNO asking 2 million taka for factory layout approval.
Describing a recent incident, he said thousands of officials visited a political party’s office after August 5 last year seeking justice, but were barred by party leadership from entering. He put up notices forbidding in-service officers from attending the party office.
Reacting to Sattar’s claims, former Secretary and BPATC Rector AKM Abdul Awal Majumdar told media that Sattar is a responsible figure who does not speak without evidence. He urged the government to identify the corrupt advisors, emphasizing that blaming political figures for their actions serves no purpose.
The seminar also highlighted widespread irregularities and corruption by administrative officials during the previous 15.5 years of government. Participants called for preventing officials from working as political party tools in the future.
Key speakers included Chief Advisor’s Chief Secretary M Siraj Uddin Mia, University of Dhaka Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Mokhlesur Rahman, Secretary of the National Parliament Secretariat Kaniz Mowla, and professors from Dhaka and Rajshahi universities.
Relatives of July movement martyrs also spoke, urging the inclusion of martyr Shahriar Khan’s farewell letter in school curricula to inspire future generations about the struggle against dictatorship.
The seminar concluded with calls for restoring public trust in officials, ensuring rule of law enforcement, and keeping administration free from political interference. Speakers noted that the July uprising reflected the culmination of growing public demand for justice and transparency after years of institutional decay.
