Lalmonirhat Executive Engineer Temporarily Suspended

The Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) in Lalmonirhat, Mr. Md. Saifuzzaman, has been temporarily suspended from his duties, according to a government notification issued on Tuesday by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

The official gazette states that Mr. Saifuzzaman, while serving as the Executive Engineer, misused his authority in violation of established regulations during the construction of the record building project for the Bangladesh Supreme Court. Specifically, he allegedly divided a single civil works package (W-1) under the “Non-Residential Building” category of the project into eight separate packages and invited tenders through the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) process without the approval of the Development Project Proposal (DPP), Revised DPP (RDPP), or HOPE framework.

The total expenditure incurred through this unauthorised division amounted to BDT 6.32 crore. Investigations revealed that, for seven of the eight packages, there was no tangible evidence of work performed. Payments were recorded under the names of eight contractor firms other than National Development Engineers Limited—the firm actually assigned to execute the work—during the 2023–2024 fiscal year. These payments, made despite the absence of completed work, constitute alleged embezzlement of public funds, abuse of authority, and corruption.

Consequently, Mr. Saifuzzaman has been placed on temporary suspension in accordance with the provisions of the Bangladesh Government Service Rules, effective 3 February 2026. During the suspension period, he is entitled to receive his standard allowances as per government regulations.

The following table summarises the financial irregularities highlighted in the government notification:

The Ministry’s action underscores the government’s ongoing efforts to enforce accountability and transparency in public infrastructure projects, particularly those funded through national budgets. Officials have indicated that further investigations are underway to determine the full extent of the irregularities and to initiate appropriate legal proceedings if warranted.