Tuesday, November 5, 2024

News analysis: Siemens bribery: The whole story

Hasanuzzaman Khan
A source close to the US embassy in Dhaka said they have ascertained only 3 million dollar deposited in a Singapore Bank in the account of Arafat Rahman Koko which was described as Siemens’ kickback.
When asked about the 200 million dollar in kickback reportedly deposited in Koko’s name in a Singapore bank, the embassy source said, it may be the perception of the Bangladesh Government and its Law Minister Shafique Ahmed.. They have no knowledge about it. They denied handing over to the government any list of persons indulging in siphoning of state money to foreign countries.
The area of investigation of the US Justice department and FBI agents are restricted to a particular side involving Siemens transaction to Koko paid in kickback for obtaining work of Teletalk, a state owned telecommunication company of Bangladesh. The 3 million dollar forfeited in Singapore also includes an amount siphoned from a middle eastern country, a mobile phone company having origin from there are also working in Bangladesh.
Earlier Law Minister Shafiq Ahmed in a press briefing said, they have obtained a list of 12 politico-businessmen from the US investigators, who had 200 million dollar illegal transaction with siemens. A number of cabinet ministers of the 4-party alliance government was involved. But he refrained from naming the persons involved except Arafat Rahman Koko, the second son of former prime minister and BNP chief Khaleda Zia.
The US embassy sources said the Bangladesh government has presented the news from their own angle. The US investigators are not supposed to go beyond the terms of reference. Their area of investigation is limited, the embassy sources said. It is a very sensitive issue and no one should blow it beyond the proportion.
Former Attorney General Salahuddin Ahmed said he disclosed the involvement of 4-party alliance in the scandal after being influenced by the Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed. The handling of the matter by the top functionaries of the government has raised questions in different quarters.
A delegation comprising the US Justice department’s deputy chief Linda M Samuel, FBI agent Deborah Heprevotte met the Law Minister Barrister Shafique and the then Attorney General Salahuddin to discuss the money laundering issue.
The BNP continues to deny the charges, calling them politically motivated.
In a renewed denial, even as the American and British Officials arrived here for consultation, BNP leaders said, Koko was not involved in the deal. US Justice department has filed a forfeiture action against the said 3 million dollar, that are alleged to be the proceeds of a wide-ranging conspiracy to bribe public officials in Bangladesh. Acting Assistant Attorney General Mathew Friedrich of USA announced it.
The forfeiture action was filed on January 8,2009 in the US District of Columbia against fund located in Singapore held by multiple account holders.
Koko, Giasuddin Mamun, former Finance Minister Saifur Rahman’s son Babu are among the accused in the case filed in the US district court. The case was filed by Linda Samuel of the US Justice department.
According to Transparency International Afghanistan, Haiti and Myanmar are the countries where corporate bribery is most common. In Bangladesh the Siemens bribery dates back 2001 when the BNP government was not in power. Corporate bribery has become a global phenomenon now a days.
What is striking about prosecutors’ accounts of those dealings of Siemens, which flowed through a web of secret bank accounts and shadowy consultants, is how entrenched corruption had embraced a sophisticated company that externally preached the principles of a transparent global marketplace built on legitimate transactions.
The prosecutors said that from 2002 to 2006, they oversaw an annual bribery budget of about $50 million at Siemens. Company managers and sales staff members used the slash fund to cozy up to corrupt government officials worldwide.
The payments, he said, were vital to maintaining the competitiveness of Siemens outside of Germany, particularly in his subsidiary, which sold telecommunications equipment.
Siekaczek’s telecommunications unit spent $5 million in bribes to win a cellphone contract in Bangladesh, paying the son of the then-prime minister and other senior officials, according to court documents. Siekaczek’s group also paid $12.7 million to senior officials in Nigeria for government contracts.
“Crimes of official corruption threaten the integrity of the global marketplace and undermine the rule of law in the host countries,” said Lori Weinstein, the US Justice Department prosecutor who oversaw the Siemens case.
All told, Siemens will pay more than $2.6 billion: $1.6 billion in fines and fees in Germany and the United States and more than $1 billion for internal investigations and reforms.
The Siemens general counsel, Peter Solmssen, during an interview in Washington, said the company acknowledged that bribes were at the heart of the case. “This is the end of a difficult chapter in the company’s history,” he said. “We’re glad to get it behind us.”
The US Justice Department says. Siemens Bangladesh has admitted to funneling corrupt payments through business consultants to government officials in the country. In all, the Siemens subsidiary paid $5.3 million in illegal payments between 2001 and 2006.
Seeking the bribe money is a follow-up to admissions that Siemens made bribes to win contracts in three continents and was fined a total of $1.6 billion.

Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com

Related News

Tourist access to suspend in St Martins in February

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has decided that tourist access to Saint Martin’s Island will be suspended in February to protect the island’s fragile ecology and ensure environmental preservation. Tourists will be allowed to visit the island from November to January, with overnight stays prohibited in November. In December and January, tourists can stay ... Read more

Public univs to accommodate 37pc GPA 5 achievers

Shahin Akhter Around 63 per cent of examinees securing a Grade Point Average of 5 in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations will not be able to get admitted to the public universities across the country due to lack of seats. Though the private universities in the country have sufficient seats to accommodate ... Read more

297 killed by lightning in eight months

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 297 people have been killed and 73 injured in incidents of lightning strikes across the country between February and September this year, according to Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum (SSTAF). In the eight months, lightning strikes killed 152 people while they were doing agricultural works, SSTAF said ... Read more

Flood death toll climbs to 59, over 5.4 million affected

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Fifty-nine people, including 41 men, six women and 12 children, died in the devastating flood as deaths of five more people were reported on Saturday. So far, 14 deaths have been reported in Cumilla, six in Chattogram, 23 in Feni, nine in Noakhali, three in Cox’s Bazar, and one each in ... Read more

Flood death toll reaches 13, 4.5m affected in 11 districts

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Around 13 people have been killed and 4.5 million affected by floods in 11 districts of Bangladesh, the disaster management and relief ministry said Friday, reports AFP. Thousands of people awaiting emergency rescue remained beyond electricity and mobile network coverage as a flash flood unleashed by heavy rains and an onrush ... Read more

Bangladesh ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia freed

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has been officially released. Former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was released on Tuesday, a day after Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as PM and fleeing the country amid an unprecedented student-led mass uprising against her authoritarian regime. The decision was revealed ... Read more

Eid-ul-Azha on June 17

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The holy Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated in Bangladesh on June 17 (Monday) as the crescent moon of the Zilhaj month was sighted in Bangladesh’s sky on Friday evening (7 June). The National Moon Sighting Committee came up with the decision after reviewing information about the sighting of the moon at a ... Read more

Cyclone Remal: 40 dead animals found, 17 rescued hurt in Sundarbans

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The forest department officials on Tuesday said that so far they found 39 dead deer and a pig in the Sundarbans after the severe cyclone Remal that hit the forest on Sunday. Primarily they have estimated infrastructural damage of Tk 6.27 crore in the forest while the total damage, including animals ... Read more

Cyclone Remal claims at least 14 lives, affects nearly 37.58 lakh people in 19 districts

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Following its devastating impact into Bangladesh on Sunday night, Cyclone Remal has affected over 37.58 lakh people in 19 districts and taken at least 14 lives. While the cyclone has weakened into a deep depression, hundreds of villages in the southern parts of the country remain submerged. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department ... Read more

Alert issued as Cyclone Remal develops

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A weather alert has been issued by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) as a low-pressure system in the southwest and west central Bay of Bengal gains strength, potentially developing into Cyclone Remal by Saturday. The system, currently moving northeastward, is expected to transform into a depression by early Friday. By Saturday, ... Read more

Cyclone ‘Remal’ likely to hit Bangladesh coasts on 26 May: Meteorologist

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Cyclone Remal is likely to make landfall between 6:00am and 12:00pm on 26 May in Bangladesh, affecting coastal areas from the Barguna in Barishal Division to Cox’s Bazar in the Chattogram Division, a meteorologist said today (21 May). The front of the cyclone may begin to enter coastal areas after 6:00am, ... Read more

5 consecutive days holiday for Eid-ul-Adha

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Government employees are scheduled to get five consecutive days off on Eid-ul-Azha. This includes two days of weekly holidays (Friday and Saturday) followed by another three days for Eid, according to government holiday list. Eid-ul-Azha is likely to be celebrated on June 17 this year.

Heavy rains, storms forecast for entire week

Schools open today after heatwave closures News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) forecasts heavy rainfall with thunderstorms across the country this week, starting on Tuesday and lasting through Saturday. As per the analysis of mathematical model of rainfall index, Bangladesh is likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall with thunderstorms starting ... Read more

Waiting for the rain

Tawsia Tajmim As the sun blazes relentlessly, desperate craving rises for rain, for nothing soothes Mother Nature quite like its cool embrace. After a brutal month-long heatwave, residents of Chattogram, Sylhet, and Dhaka finally caught a break with some rain on 2 May. However, the downpour was not strong enough to completely wash away the ... Read more

Hajj registration extended till Jan 18

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government, in a notice issued yesterday, extended the Hajj registration deadline for 2024 until January 18. It said aspiring Hajis would have to primarily deposit Tk 2.05 lakh, while the rest should be paid by February 29 for final registration. One has to pay Tk 5,78,840 under the general package, ... Read more

Dense fog disrupts communications across Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Cold and dense fog continued to disrupt life with road, air and waterways communication remaining suspended in the early hours of Tuesday as Bangladesh braces for this winter’s first cold wave likely to set in today. Authorities also confirmed until Tuesday the death of 14 people in cold-related diseases and road ... Read more

27,000 GPA 5 achievers not to get seat in public universities

Shahin Akhter Over 27,000 GPA 5 achievers in this year’s HSC and equivalent examinations cannot be admitted to the public universities due to fewer seats. A total of 92,595 examinees secured GPA 5 out of total 10,67,852 passed in the Higher Secondary Certificate examinations this year. But there are around 65,400 seats at the public ... Read more

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolts Dhaka, other parts of Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Bangladesh this morning, the United States Geological Survey said, with no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake jolted different parts of the country including Dhaka around in Ramganj of Cumilla at 9:35am, reports The Daily Star quoting Meteorologist Rubayet Kabir of Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The quake ... Read more

250cc Bajaj Pulsar N250 launched in Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Uttara Motors, the manufacturer and distributor of Bajaj motorcycles in Bangladesh, has recently launched The Pulsar N250 motorcycle. Pulsar N250 comes with a price tag of Tk339,999 and is available in three different colours. The motorcycle with a 250 cc oil-cooled engine has got dual channel antilock braking system (ABS). Indian ... Read more

HSC, equivalent exam results tomorrow

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The results of this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations will be published tomorrow. The copy of the results will be handed over to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina tomorrow morning. Later in the day, the results will be officially announced by Education Minister Dipu Moni at a press ... Read more